PALO ALTO, Calif. (KRON) — An elderly woman fell victim to a grand theft case in a parking lot on Thursday involving a jewelry swap. The woman, who was in her 60s, had just parked her car in the parking lot of a Walgreens at 4170 El Camino Real and got out when a white sedan pulled up to her, according to a press release from the Palo Alto Police Department.
The sedan’s driver was a man and a female passenger in the sedan asked the woman for directions to the freeway. The victim provided them and the woman motioned her closer to the car and thanked her by placing a ring on her finger. The victim said that wasn’t necessary, returned the ring and backed away, according to the press release. The woman then got out of the car and placed a necklace around the woman’s neck. The victim walked away and the suspects drove off.
It was only after returning home that the victim realized that the female suspect had stolen a gold necklace from around her neck when she had placed the other necklace on her. The necklace that was stolen was valued at over $1,000. The victim then notified Palo Alto PD, which received the call to its 24-hour dispatch center at around 11:11 a.m. Thursday, according to police.
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The victim described the couple in sedan as being possibly of “Indian” descent and said they were both between 50 and 60 years old. The male had a black beard but she could not recall further details about the suspects or the vehicle, according to police.
Palo Alto PD has not received any reports of similar jewelry swap crimes. The most recent similar case occurred in May 2022. Two other previous such cases date back to October 2021. Investigating detectives are trying to determine if there is any connection between the cases.
Anyone with any information is asked to call (650) 329-2413.
