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Police
are appealing for information after the theft of a bracelet
from a jewellers in Ross-on-Wye on Thursday, 2nd August.
At
lunchtime that day, a man entered the H. E. Phillips Jewellers
on Gloucester Road and stated he was ‘just browsing’. He
left after a short while but returned with another man around
half an hour later. They continued looking at jewellery
and selected rings and bracelets to purchase, totalling
around £2,000. The
men left £800 in cash at the store to secure the purchase
while they attended a bank to get the remaining balance.
A
few minutes later - roughly between 12.50 pm and 1pm, the
two men returned from the bank claiming they could not get
any more money. They refused to leave a deposit to collect
the jewellery at a later date and told staff to forget the
sale, returned the wrapped jewellery and left the store
with their original £800.
However,
when the shop staff unwrapped the jewellery to return it
to the display, they released that the men had stolen one
of the bracelets, worth around £800.
Both
men were described as being of ‘Mediterranean’ appearance
and were smartly dressed. They were last seen heading into
Pigs Alley.
Police
are linking the theft with another suspicious incident at
the HSBC bank in the town the same afternoon. A man - similarly
described as being of 'Mediterranean' appearance and smartly
dressed - entered the branch and tried to exchange cash
notes into other denominations. The cashier became suspicious
that a ‘sleight of hand’ deception was being carried out
and the man left with no exchange having taken place.
A
Herefordshire Police spokesman said, 'Officers investigating
both incidents are keen to hear from anyone else who may
have seen the men in the town centre that day, or other
businesses who believe they may have also visited them that
afternoon. It is possible they may have tried to carry out
other deception-type offences in the area and we would be
keen to hear from anyone who may be able to provide further
details which could help police to identify these men.'
Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Andy Taylor
at Ross-on-Wye Police Station on 08457 444888 or call Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555111.
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