91-year-old Swede sends would-be burglar packing

A would-be thief in Gävle, on the east coast of Sweden, who was trying to pry a nonagenarian’s jewellery off her fingers, was surprised to find the woman unfazed by his attempts.

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The man rang the woman’s doorbell around midday on Sunday, asking if he could borrow a bucket of water, local paper Gefle Dagblad reports.

The woman, who had a 72-year-old female friend with her at the time, agreed to lend him a bucket and give him some water, but as her companion went looking for a pail, the man turned his attention to the rings on the elderly lady’s fingers.

According to the paper, the man admired the woman’s jewellery and attempted to pull the rings off her fingers. His victim, however, was made of sterner stuff and she immediately snatched back her bejewelled hands saying “like hell you will” to the disappointed con artist.

When the woman’s friend returned shortly after with the promised bucket and water, the man quickly made his excuses and took off as soon as he could.

This is not the first scam involving the request for a bucket of water in the area, according to the paper. The incident has been classified by police as attempted theft.

The Local/rm
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