Cops are on the hunt for a gang of men who tricked their way into a woman's home, tied her up and stole thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags.
During the daylight robbery on June 26 in south Richmond, the victim suffered minor injuries to her face before breaking free 90 minutes after the home invasion.
During the brazen raid, the thieves stole suitcases full of personal items, including seven Hermès designer purses that retail between $5,000 and $15,000.
The robbery started at 1: 30 p.m., when two men knocked on the woman's door in a residential neighbourhood in the 7000-block of Petts Road, just southeast of the Williams and Gilbert roads intersection.
Richmond RCMP's Cpl. Sherrdean Turley said two men, described as Asian and East Indian, knocked on the woman's door pretending to want to talk about an insurance claim involving a vehicle parked on her driveway.
After several minutes, the men were invited into the house before they overpowered her, bound her with rope and assaulted her.
Mounties said two more men, one Asian and one of unknown descent, entered shortly after, helping the first two men rummage the house for goods. The woman eventually broke free and called police at 3 p.m.
"When we entered the residence it was apparent that she did have injuries to her face, but she was simply treated at scene," said Turley. "The injuries were quite minor, and that's fortunate, because it could have been a lot worse."
Police said all the men are between the ages of 20 and 25, and are believed to be linked to a silver or charcoal SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer. For photos of the hand bags look online at www.richmond-news.com
Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 604-278-1212.
