The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Man knocked on doors near robbery scene
Astranger was reportedly knocking on 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, just a few doors from where the incident took place, thinks it may be connected with unsolicited visits.
The neighbour, who does not wish to be named, said the man approached each house on the street in the months leading up to the attack. He said: “We had leaflets through the door asking ‘do you want to sell your gold?’ and stuff like that. I never thought anything of it as 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 we wanted to try to sell. He said he was from Aberdeen.
“We’re talking months ago, but 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 if she still had the leaflet, but she just throws those things in the bin and that’s exactly what I had done.”
Earlier this 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 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.
The owners of the targeted house confirmed the same man approached them several months ago asking the same question, but they told him they didn’t have anything to sell.
They said the man claimed he owned a shop in Aberdeen and described him as nice, handsome, well dressed and not suspicious.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said they could not discuss individual lines of inquiry and that investigations are still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 2521 of May 31.
People in the area have said they are considering starting a Neighbourhood Watch. 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.”
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.
“I’m a wee bitty more vigilant now. I’m just concerned for them. It’s such a shame — they keep themselves to themselves so it was a bit of a shock.”