Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

SockedA woman didn’t have a chance to spend her income tax refund before a thief grabbed it. At noon on Feb. 24, a 44-year-old woman entered the Yip’s restaurant at 18 Beaver St. When she went to the register to pay for her meal, she reached into her jacket pocket and removed a black sock containing $3,800 in cash from her IRS refund. She placed the sock on the counter and reached further into her coat pocket to remove loose cash to pay for the food. She then left the restaurant, heading for the subway. About 20 minutes after exiting Yip’s, she realized that she had left her money at the counter. She returned to the eatery and discovered that her cash was now missing. A police officer responding to her report viewed the restaurant surveillance footage and spotted her sock lying on the floor when an unknown woman wearing a yellow poncho picked it up, discovered the money inside, and gave it to the cashier before leaving the location. Two minutes later, a man wearing a tan jacket and blue jeans was seen approaching the cashier and receiving the money-filled sock from the cashier before he left the location. The restaurant manager told police that the man seen in the video is a daily customer and the manager would assist the police in locating him.

Dire WireA rare car buyer got hacked out of a considerable amount of money. A 36-year-old downtown resident agreed on Feb. 15 to buy a car from a Las Vegas broker for $750,000, with a friend living overseas contributing $200,000 toward the purchase. The friend, based in France, contacted the buyer, advising him that his email account had been hacked and he should contact his bank. The buyer did so but discovered that his funds had already been withdrawn. The friend informed the buyer that his funds had never made it to the broker in Las Vegas and that the broker’s account had a different number from the one in the forwarded e-mail. Authorities are investigating the matter.

offendiedA stylish shoplifter helped herself to a pricey handbag. On the evening of Feb. 26, a woman entered the Kirna Zabête clothing boutique at 477 Broome St. and removed a Fendi Python handbag valued at $5,700 from the cash wrap table. A shop employee told police that the woman had visited the location many times before, always inquiring about expensive handbags. On the day of the theft, the woman was wearing a black wool poncho with fur ends and carrying a handbag and scarf with a fur stole.

Expensive LunchHang your handbag on your chair, and you could soon be tearing your hair! On Feb. 22, a 37-year-old woman eating in the Odeon Restaurant at 145 West Broadway left her black handbag hanging behind her chair. When she went into the bag to get her wallet to pay the check at about 1 p.m., her wallet was missing. A $4,000 charge later turned up on her American Express card, and a $5,000 charge appeared on one of her debit cards. The other items stolen included an orange wallet valued at $30, $40 in cash, a New York State driver’s license, and a Costco membership card.

Locked Van MysteryCan a robbery from a van parked on the street be considered an inside job? On Feb. 26, a 43-year-old man locked his blue 2011 Chrysler Town & Country van and left it parked at the southeast corner of Lispenard and Church Streets. When he returned later that afternoon, the vehicle was still locked, but three boxes inside the van, which contained computers, were gone. There were no signs of forced entry, and police were unable to locate the stolen goods in the vicinity. The missing computers were valued at $7,500.