A 97-YEAR-OLD partially sighted woman had £3,000 stolen in a distraction burglary after a man knocked at her door asking to retrieve a hammer he said he had dropped in her back garden, police say.
The woman, who also has limited mobility, allowed the caller to enter her kitchen where she started looking for her key to the back door.
While the man kept her attention, telling the woman he had dropped the hammer while working nearby, another male slipped in through the open front door and went upstairs.
The woman later found her bedroom had been searched and £3,000 taken from a tin.
The Met is appealing for witnesses who may have seen the men either before or after the burglary which took place in Carshalton Road, near the junction with Sutton Grove, Sutton, on Saturday (February 14) at about 6pm.
They are looking to speak to a tall white man, of big build wearing white trousers and a striped jacket.
Anyone who saw someone matching his description in the area at the time can contact Sutton Police station on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Police have also warned residents not to allow any unknown or unexpected callers inside. Anyone suspicious should shut callers outside and dial 999.
A spokesman for the Met said officers would rather come out and check everything is okay rather than find someone has been a victim of crime.
