CHESTERMERE – On Feb. 27 at around 12:50 p.m., local RCMP responded to a home invasion and robbery at a residence on Marina Drive in Chestermere.
Officers arrived on scene after learning that a middle-aged woman had been tied up inside of her home and robbed. Two men had knocked on her door asking to use the telephone, stating that their vehicle had broken down.
As a telephone was being provided to them, the men forced the door open and entered the residence. One of the men produced a firearm and demanded money.
Duct tape was used secure the victim while the two men searched the residence. They eventually found and stole a significant amount of money and jewelry.
The victim received minor injuries, and was able to free herself to call the police and family members after the suspects had left the residence. As a precaution, the victim was seen by EMS. The local victim services was also advised and prepared to assist.
It was confirmed the suspects fled the scene, although no vehicles were identified. One man is described as being East Indian. He is said to be between 20 and 25-years-old, 5’5 with a medium build, with a small nose and lips. He was wearing a black hoodie, and can speak both English and Punjabi.
The second man is described as a Caucasian male, also between 20 and 25-years-old with a smooth complexion, light colored eyes and lighter colored eyebrows.
He was about 6’2 with a heavy build. His most outstanding feature was a big, long face. He was wearing a white hoodie and spoke English with a deep voice.
“I don’t believe this was random,” said Staff Sgt. Glenn Henry. “Obviously we haven’t figured out who is responsible, but I’m sure it will come up that it wasn’t absolutely random.
“It’s pretty safe to say that these guys didn’t say “I hope these people have some money in their place, let’s force our way in.” We are thinking there was some previous knowledge there.”
Henry said that the last time a similar incident happened in the community was about two-and-a-half years ago.
“This doesn’t happen very often, and when it has, the places involved have had large sums of money on location,” he said. “I think that is probably the reason why this particular residence was chosen.
“I think the best thing to suggest here is to prevent yourself from being a victim and to not keep large sums of money in your home.
“If you have something in your home that is a potential target for criminals, consider using a more secure option at a bank.”
Henry said, “We still have a safe community and these are isolated incidents. I’m not going to tell anyone to not answer the door, lock themselves in or add five deadbolts, because we’re simply not there.”
The RCMP police dog service team and RCMP Forensic Identification Section member were requested and attended the scene. This serious investigation is presently ongoing.
Anyone who has any information about this crime or any other can contact the Chestermere RCMP at 403-204-8777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through www.tipsubmit.com.
Crime stoppers will pay cash rewards up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property or seizure of illegal drugs. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and the identity of the caller will remain anonymous.
