Police catch break in elderly woman robberies

Police in Amsterdam arrested two men on suspicion of a string of muggings targeting elderly women, according to a police report. The 18-year-old was caught in connection with an attack on a 91-year-old woman using a walker in Amsterdam Nieuw-West on July 3, when police say the suspect ripped a necklace from the woman’s throat. The woman suffered minor injuries in the incident on the Botteskerksingel, according to the police department. A witness at the scene ran after the suspect, and then joined a motorcycle cop in trying to hunt the suspect down. Police say they obtained security camera footage in the area and worked with the witness to identify the suspect. The 18-year-old was arrested a day later. “The arrested suspect, along with a 19-year-old Amsterdammer, is also suspected of six other street robberies of older women in Amsterdam Nieuw-West,” the police report says. “The victims were all between 75 and 95 years old” with mobility problems. In each case, jewelry was ripped from their necks. Police said each woman suffered significant psychological trauma in addition to “minor injuries.” “Some of these older women even find it difficult to leave their homes,” said Piet Kelder, the deputy district police chief for Amsterdam West. He said that these “so-called high-impact crimes are a priority for the police.” The 19-year-old was already in jail on suspicion of robbing a prostitute on Pieter Calandlaan in Amsterdam. That robbery took place early on June 23. Police caught the 19-year-old the same day and booked another 19-year-old as his accomplice. Police have not connected the 18-year-old to the June 23rd incident.