Calgary police seek third suspect connected to distraction thefts
Posted Mar 17, 2023 10:14 am.
Last Updated Mar 17, 2023 10:17 am.
Calgary police are looking for a man wanted in connection to a slew of distraction theft cases after previously arresting a pair of men they believe were involved.
Officers say there were 12 distraction thefts reported from late January to early February this year, which they say cost victims around $100,000.
Distraction thefts are when someone steals something from a person after tricking them into giving their attention to something else.
Investigators say they were able to identify three men they believe were targeting victims at major retail and shopping chains to steal their financial information.
This came as a result of footage showing a suspect watching a victim enter their debit or credit card pin number to make a purchase.
Police say the footage shows the other two suspects approaching the victim and “distracting” them, which was then they stole the debit and credit cards.
As a result, 24-year-old Petrisor Adrian Marior is wanted on warrants for theft and fraud counts related to the incidents.
He is described as being 5’9″ to 6′ tall, with a medium-to-heavy build, brown hair and brown eyes.
A suspect wanted in a slew of distraction thefts in Calgary. (CPS photo)
In addition, on March 9, two of the three were arrested and now face 29 theft and fraud-related offences, totalling 58 charges.
The two suspects are 42-year-old Florian Paun and 55-year-old Ion Tirna.
Police say the charges consist of possession of stolen property, defrauding a person under $5,000, theft of a credit card, possession of a stolen credit card, and theft under $5,000.
“Upon arrest, we found [the suspects] in possession of stolen credit cards belonging to an individual who was a victim of their scam but had yet to file a police report,” said Calgary police Const. Shaun Vandal in a statement.
“We have determined that the offenders continued to target victims up until their arrest on March 9. We are asking for anyone who believes they were a victim of distraction theft between late January and early March 2023 to contact us and file a report.”
Paun is set to appear in court on March 20, while Tirna will appear on March 27. The charges against all three men have yet to be proven in court.
Police ask anyone with information about Marior’s whereabouts to call them at 403-266-1234 or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
