An Indian woman in Canada was robbed while she was on her daily walk. (Photo: CB24)
An Indian woman in Canada, Santosh Sharma, was recently robbed while on her daily walk along Côte Vertue in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent neighbourhood. The incident happened recently and the woman told Canadian media CP24 that she is still in shock because she didn’t even understand when she was robbed.
A car stopped nearby and the passengers, a white man and woman, waved and said something. Sharma said she didn’t understand what they were saying but it was something like “mamma mia”. A third person approached her from behind and pushed her toward the car. Her son Vishnal Sharma said that she is not so strong that she can resist anyone. When she was near the car, the passengers took four gold bracelets from her wrists, then put fake jewelry in her pocket and drove off.
Santosh said it happened so quickly and smoothly that she didn’t even take a good look at the robbers and no one around her seemed to notice.Vishnal says they called 911 as soon as his mother returned home. Montreal Police Officers (SPVM) arrived quickly and were cooperative, but told them the jewelry was unlikely to be recovered. Canadian media reports describe such thefts as “distraction thefts” in which the victim is first distracted and then robbed.
Vishnal says the bracelets were a gift he gave his mother on his wedding day, and he estimates the cost of replacing them today would be about $15,000.“For us, it’s very difficult to buy something like this, so it’s not easy,” he said.Sharma arrived in Canada three years ago, and so far has found Montreal to be safe, as she has never been a victim of crime before. Now she said she’s too afraid to go out. Vishnal said he hopes his mother’s story will help others stay safe. “I just want to tell everyone to be vigilant, stay away from all these people and never wear jewelry on the roads.”
