- The woman, in her 70s, had her bag stolen in Brandon Street, Leicester
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This is the shocking moment cruel crooks steal from an elderly woman by pretending she has dropped some money in Leicester.
A woman wearing a dark blue headscarf, jacket, and blue skirt totters along the pavement in Brandon Street, Leicester, with a white and green carrier bag hanging from her arm.
A group of men wearing baseball caps and dark clothing can be seen in the CCTV footage walking on the opposite side of the road.
One of the men breaks away from the group and scampers across the road before quickly strolling behind the elderly lady, aged in her 70s. He pulls something out from his pocket which appears to be a piece of paper and hands it to her.
After briefly chatting with the pensioner, the thug points to the floor and she stoops down to pick something up.
He can then be seen reaching into his pocket again and some silvery coins fall to the floor.
An elderly woman wearing a dark blue headscarf can be seen tottering down Brandon Street, in Leicester. A man wearing a baseball cap appears to suggest she has dropped some money
As she stoops down to pick up some coins, his accomplice starts cutting into her carrier bag as the man continues to distract her
He pulls a red handbag through the gap before clasping it close to his chest and making a quick exit
As she reaches down to pick them up the baseball-cap wearing thief looks to his right and is joined by one of his gang members.
They check to make sure the coast is clear before one of the men sneakily cuts into her carrier bag while the other distracts her.
A man then pulls out red handbag and holds it close to his chest before making a quick exit as his accomplice follows behind.
According to the timestamp on the footage, the theft appears to have taken place on February 16.
Speaking today, a Leicestershire police spokesperson said: ‘An investigation is continuing following a report of theft in East Leicester.
‘Shortly before 1pm last Friday (February 16) a report was received stating a quantity of cash had been taken from a bag being carried by woman in her 70s in Brandon Street.
‘The woman was not injured. No arrests have been made.’