The first response of anyone being offered a bouquet of roses would be out of love but what if this feeling of love turns into fear?
The same has been happening in Virginia, where the Police are investigating up to 5 burglaries since Dec 28.
The Fairfax County Police have asked the public for any information related to a group of burglars who approach their targets with bouquets. The group has been identified as a serial offender.
The Incident
A recent burglary that took place on Dec 28 has revealed the group through CCTV footage. According to the police, a woman approached the target house with a bouquet and knocked on the door in one of the burglaries.
Upon finding no members of the house, she went back to the vehicle and two men entered the house forcefully and stole valuable possessions including jewelry, cash and a purse while trying to hide their identities by tampering with the CCTV cameras.
Police of Fairfax are warning the residents about the “rose ruse” burglaries to spread awareness and vigilance among the citizens.
The burglaries occurred on Farm Road in Great Falls, Lance Lane in Oakton, Windhoek Drive and Dominion Reserve Drive in McLean and Bishopsgate Way in Reston. The recent incident took place on Jan 9.
New Innovations in Stealing
The burglars have found this new and innovative trick to lure their victims and to check if anybody’s home or not. If no one answers, they use spray paint to block the surveillance camera.
Lieutenant James Curry along with the police stated that the female appeared holding a rose bouquet in front of the target’s home and upon receiving no response, two male suspects appeared and attempted to break in while using spray paint to hide their identities.
He also stated the group’s locations to be mostly isolated areas and not town areas which are more populated, and one or two members tend to stay at home.
The burglars are clever as they have the knowledge about which house to target and how to hide their identities. To secure their identities they use a rose bouquet to make sure no one is home.
Attempts to Avoid Future Theft
The police announced various steps that homeowners can take to avoid burglary. These include making sure the home security cameras are on all the time with alerts or alarms when someone attempts to enter the property and always informing the police if any suspicious activity takes place.
To control the situation, police have informed the people to take note of the woman selling bouquets and call the police if they find her. Along with that, they have also shared an image of the lady in front of a house holding a bouquet of roses on X, exposing the burglary plot on Jan 11.
