A Richmond woman was recently bound and beaten by a quartet of robbers who stole several purses from her home, including seven Hermes handbags worth as much as $15,000 each, according to police.
RCMP in the Vancouver suburb say the 50-year-old victim answered the door to her home in the 7000-block of Petts Road on June 26 to find two men who said they wanted to talk to her about an insurance claim involving her vehicle. After speaking to them for a few minutes, she let them into the house.
Once inside, the men allegedly overpowered the woman, tied her up and then assaulted her. A second set of suspects then came inside and helped steal several suitcases and other bags, including a number of high-end women’s purses, police say. Retail prices for the Hermes bags start at $5,000.
The victim suffered minor injuries to her face, but was able to break free from her restraints to call police.
The suspects are believed to be connected to a silver or charcoal-coloured SUV -- possibly a Ford Explorer -- with a hatchback and stock rims.
All four men are estimated to be between the ages of 20 and 25. Two are described as East Asian, one is said to be South Asian and the race of the fourth is unknown.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
