Toronto police arrest four in Scarborough gold jewelry distraction robberies

A grey Dodge Journey pulled alongside an elderly woman near Lawrence Avenue East and Scarborough Golf Club Road, then the handoff began. Toronto police say suspects used fake jewellery to distract her before forcibly removing her gold wedding ring in a robbery that unfolded around 6 p.m. on April 22, 2026.

Three people were charged after that incident: Banana Lacatus, 32, Ion Miclescu, 26, and Elena Costantin, 20, all of Toronto. Officers found the vehicle nearby and arrested two women and one man, and the stolen jewellery was recovered. Detectives later searched several addresses linked to the suspects and found additional jewellery, underscoring how quickly this kind of theft can turn a single piece of jewelry into a broader recovery operation.

Police say the mechanics mattered as much as the force. The suspects allegedly placed fake jewellery on the woman’s hand, using the gesture itself as the cover for the theft. It is a small, intimate violation, and it is exactly the kind of ruse families should be discussing with older relatives: a stranger closing the distance, touching the hand, offering a trinket, then reaching for the real gold already being worn.

A second robbery, on April 20 near Conlins Road and Ellesmere Road, pointed to the same pattern. Investigators say a black Nissan Kicks with a male driver and two female passengers approached an elderly man between 2:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The suspects allegedly distracted him by asking for directions and praying for him, then used force to remove his gold chain necklace and replaced it with two fake chains and a ring.

Police arrested Surbu Constantin, 40, of Toronto, on April 23 in connection with that robbery. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 22, 2026. The earlier three accused were scheduled to appear in court on April 23, 2026.

Toronto police say the two robberies suggest there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward. Investigators have released images of three of the arrested individuals in hopes of identifying more complainants, a signal that the same distraction tactics may have been used on other seniors before the arrests closed in.