Santosh Sharma says she’s still in shock after one of her daily walks turned into a terrifying ordeal last Friday morning. While walking along Côte-Vertu Boulevard in the Saint-Laurent borough, a car stopped near her. She says the occupants, a white man and woman, tried to get her to come to the car, waving and saying things like ‘mamma mia’. Sharma says she didn’t understand them and was confused. Then a third person approached her from behind and pushed her towards the car. “She’s old and not physically that strong so they were able to hold her, so she’s not able to free herself,” said her son Vishnal Sharma. He says they took four gold bangles off her wrists, stuffed fake jewelry into her pockets, and then drove off. It all happened so fast, Santosh says she didn’t get a very good look at the thieves, and no one around seemed to notice the incident. Vishnal says they called 911 as soon as his mother returned home. Montreal police (SPVM) officers arrived quickly and were helpful, but told them the jewelry was unlikely to be recovered. Santosh says she thinks the thieves were trying to distract her. CTV News recently reported that distraction thefts are on the rise in Canada, and this past fall, police in Laval warned of thieves targeting seniors for their jewelry. Vishnal says the bangles were a gift he gave to his mother on his wedding day and estimates they would cost around $15,000 to replace today. “For us it’s very tough to purchase something like that, so it’s not an easy thing,” he said. Sharma is from India and only arrived in Canada three years ago. She says she’s never been the victim of a crime before, and until now, she felt Montreal was a safe and friendly city. Now she says she’s too afraid to go outside. Vishnal hopes his mother’s story will help others to stay safe. “I just want to tell everybody to be vigilant, stay away from all these people and never wear jewelry on the roads.”
