A local woman was the target of an audacious pair of motorbike bandits who tracked her down on Wednesday, November 24, shortly after she made a large cash withdrawal from the BBVA bank at the Ajijic plaza.
After leaving the bank, the victim drove her car a few blocks to do some shopping at Barbara’s Bazaar. According to proprietor Tom Thompson, the thieves apparently followed her there, stopping near the entrance where one of the men got off the motorbike and approached the store entrance. When an employee posted at the door denied him entry for not showing proof of Covid-19 vaccination, he signaled to his accomplice that the women was inside. One of them held the employee at gunpoint while the other barged under the chain at the door and grabbed the victim’s purse containing not only all her money, but also keys, phone and personal IDs. The crooks dashed out of the store and fled away quickly on the motorbike.
Another daylight purse snatching incident with a similar motorbike modus operandi occurred on the streets of Chapala several weeks ago.
As large bank withdrawals become more common during the holiday season, customers are advised to take extra precautions to avoid becoming prey to shrewd criminals on the lookout for easy targets.