A stranger was reportedly knocking doors and attempting to buy gold in the same street where a Dundee family was robbed months later.
Three men forced their way into a house on Harefield Road and stole gold and cash shortly after 4pm on Tuesday.
Now a neighbour, who lives a few doors down from where the incident took place, fears the incident may be in connection with unsolicited visits.
Robbery came after visits by stranger
The local, who does not wish to be named, says a man approached each house on the street in the months leading up to the attack.
She believes it could have been someone pretending to be a businessman trying to find out if there was valuables in any of the homes.
She said: “We had leaflets through the door asking ‘do you want to sell your gold’ and stuff like that and I never thought anything of it because I don’t have anything to sell.
“Then a man appears at the door and he’s all suited up in a shirt and tie asking if we had anything that we wanted to try and sell.
“We’re talking months ago but [now] I’m thinking ‘have they went along there [to the victims’ house] and maybe asked the same question?’ – I don’t know.
“I asked my neighbour on Thursday if she still had one of the leaflets and she said she just throws those things in the bin and that’s exactly what I had done.”
Occupants ‘slapped in the face’ by robbers
Earlier in the week The Courier told how the owners of the house, aged 66 and 75, along with their vulnerable daughter, were forced to the floor and slapped in the face by the thugs, who ransacked the property.
The criminals reportedly spent around 40 minutes raiding the Lochee home, near Frankie’s chip shop, before locking the family inside and fleeing.
Man looking to buy gold
The owners of the house that was hit have confirmed the same man approached them several months ago asking the same question but that they told him they didn’t have anything to sell.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said they could not discuss individual lines of inquiry and that investigations into the incident are still ongoing.
He added that anyone with information which they believe may assist enquiries should call 101 quoting incident number 2521 of May 31 2022.
Locals considering starting Neighbourhood Watch
Residents in the area have said they are now considering starting up a Neighbourhood Watch following the incident on Tuesday.
One Harefield Road resident said: “We’re being a bit more cautious now.
“We should maybe think of doing a neighbourhood watch thing or getting some CCTV but we’ve not really had any bother here before. It’s a cul-de-sac so it’s quiet.”
Earlier in the week police advised the robbery was being treated as a “targeted attack”.
They urged locals to store high value items safely out of sight and to consider investing in “robust locks, motion-activated lighting and even CCTV”.
A resident on Harefield road said her son is looking at installing a camera on her front door.
She said: “It was a bit of a shock because this is a really quiet area. A lot of elderly people live here and a lot of people look out for each other.
“My son was thinking about getting a doorbell with a camera as something extra. I’m a wee bitty more vigilant now.
“I’m just concerned for them, they’ve got a vulnerable daughter. It’s such a shame — they just keep themselves to themselves so it was a bit of a shock.”
