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Mounties think elderly B.C. man's care aide is the one who stole his wallet, started using his cards

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A care aide has been charged following the theft of credit cards from an elderly man in Metro Vancouver.

Mounties in Surrey say the aide was arrested last week, about a month after the investigation began in another city.

In late June, the Richmond RCMP was told that a 96-year-old man's wallet had been stolen from his home. According to police, his debit and credit cards, which had been inside the wallet, were being used in Surrey and Delta.

So the Surrey RCMP detachment took over, and identified the home care aide who'd been caring for the victim as a suspect. Investigators claim the suspect stole the wallet, then started using the cards.

Less than a month after the investigation began, an arrest warrant was issued for that aide, Ana Marie Lat Chamdal. She was brought into custody earlier this week, on charges of fraud over $5,000, possession or use of a stolen credit card and two counts of using a forged document.

The 30-year-old resident of Surrey is also charged with identity theft, personation with intent to gain advantage and breach of undertaking.

Chamdal is not currently in police custody, but was released on court-imposed conditions including that she report to a bail supervisor. She can't work if that work involves entering someone's private home or working at a facility or building that cares for seniors, and she can't have any type of documents or cards in other people's names.

The claims against the aide have not been tested in court, but the RCMP released a photo of the woman in hopes it will "assist with advancing the ongoing investigation."

Police say she's worked as a care aide in Richmond, Delta and White Rock, as well as in Surrey.

"It is disheartening to see an elderly person taken advantage of, especially by a person entrusted with providing care for them," Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in a news release about the arrest Friday.

She said the case is a reminder for family members to monitor finances for signs of exploitation.

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