It is feared that two women dubbed “Rolex Rippers” struck for the 22nd time – targeting another wealthy older man and stealing his expensive watch.
The thieves are believed to be behind the robbery of a man in the 1970s outside his home in an upscale area of Poole, Dorset.
The women have targeted men in affluent areas and near exclusive golf clubs across southern England.
The most recent incident is believed to have been at least the 22nd, with the duo targeting men in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Sussex.
In many cases, the woman has posed as a charity worker with clipboards and stolen watches from her victims without their noticing while they are signing a petition.
But sometimes they were less subtle and just ripped the expensive timepieces off the men’s wrists.
Detectives chasing two women known as “Rolex Rippers” who are believed to have targeted at least 22 expensive older men’s watches across southern England this year posted CCTV images
Dorset Police released grainy CCTV images of the two women and a gray Toyota they believed to have escaped with
The thieves are believed to be behind a man’s robbery in the 1970s outside his home in an upscale part of Poole, Dorset (general view of the street)
In the most recent incident, a woman in her twenties and another in her forties approached a man in front of his house in Cliff Drive, Poole, where the average house prices are over £ 1 million.
It’s just a stone’s throw from Parkstone Golf Club, where membership costs £ 2,000 a year.
The couple, believed to be Romanian and wearing face masks, asked him the name of the property and behaved lovingly towards it.
He tried to push them away and only noticed when they were gone when his Rolex watch had been taken away from him.
Police also released a picture of a gray car linked to the latest theft
A Dorset Police Department spokesman said: “A victim, a man aged 70, was outside an address in Cliff Drive at around 2:40 pm on Saturday, October 16, 2021, when he was approached by two women.
“They asked for the name of the property, gave him pencil and paper to write down, and were loving to him.
“He tried to push her away, and when the women left, the man noticed that the Rolex watch he was wearing on his wrist was gone.
“One of the women was described as in her 40s and the other in her 20s. It was believed that they were Romanians and wore face masks.
“This incident follows a series of robberies and diversionary thefts in which Rolex watches have been stolen in Dorset and elsewhere in the country over the past few months.”
Detectives asked residents of the area to come up with CCTV or dashcam material that could aid their investigation.
Detective Sergeant Karen Penn said, “We are conducting a series of inquiries into this latest incident and I would like to invite anyone to come forward with information that may aid our investigation.
“I’m particularly interested in hearing from nearby residents with video surveillance systems or drivers passing by with dashcams who may have captured relevant footage.
“Our investigation into the broader range is also ongoing and we would like to continue to urge people to remain vigilant if they are wearing expensive watches or jewelry, especially if they are being approached in this way.
“Many of the victims are elderly and we ask people with elderly relatives to discuss this with them and make them aware of these types of crimes that are taking place.”
Alan Bruce, who previously had his £ 14,000 watch stolen by the two women known as the “Rolex Rippers”
The women are said to have struck several times in Poole, Wimborne, Wareham, Ferndown, Highcliffe and Poundbury in Dorset.
Hampshire police said they had at least ten victims, including two brothers, 85 and 91, who were targeted 80 miles apart in Gloucestershire and Surrey.
Many of the thefts took place in the parking lots of exclusive golf clubs.
Police warned elderly men to be on their guard with high quality watches in public.
Both women are said to have been in their 20s or 30s and were 1.70 m tall and 1.70 m tall with dark hair and Eastern European accents.
But the description of an older woman in recent theft has raised the possibility that more people might be involved.
The spate of robberies reportedly started on May 19 at Stoneham Golf Club near Southampton.