A couple from London have been jailed for stealing more than £48,000 worth of jewellery across multiple counties.
Vadar-ghimes Agafitei and Zinca Agafitei, both 46, of Penge Road, London, were sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment at Norwich Crown Court on Monday.
Both pleaded guilty to three counts of theft plus two counts of burglary at an earlier hearing, with Vadar-ghimes also admitting fraud by false representation.
Jailed: Vadar-ghimes Agafitei. Picture: Norfolk Police
This follows a string of jewellery thefts between May 14 and July 29 in Warwickshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Suffolk and Norfolk, with an estimated total haul of over £48,000.
On July 29, 2024, Norfolk Police was called by a victim who said that a pair of distraction thieves had stolen £15,000 worth of gold chains from his shop in Thetford, the court heard.
CCTV footage showed a woman talking to a staff member while a man reached over and stole the items from a window display.
Jailed: Zinca Agafitei. Picture: Norfolk Police
It was after this call that an investigation was launched by the force’s Breckland District Crime Unit. Officers uncovered four other incidents in the country earlier that year, using similar methods.
Detectives determined all four thefts had been committed by the same couple.
The first, on May 14, 2024, saw officers in Warwickshire called to reports of the theft of a Rolex from a jewellery shop, the court was told.
A man and a woman were seen to enter and a member of staff was asked to retrieve a watch they wished to view.
While they were gone, the man reached over and stole the watch, worth £11,500, from a display cabinet.
On June 17, a pair entered a store in Sussex and once again asked to view a watch. While a staff member talked to the woman, the man leant behind her and stole a gold bracelet from the cabinet worth over £2,000.
A third incident took place on July 20 in Wiltshire.
A man and a woman entered a jewellery shop, this time asking to view bracelets.
While a member of staff helped the woman try bracelets on, the man intentionally knocked over a display stand.
While it was being cleared up, the man stole over 10 bracelets, worth more than £20,000.
Five days later, a woman in her 80s had travelled to Newmarket to do some banking.
CCTV footage showed another woman watching her. She made a call and was then joined by a man, who watches the victim enter her PIN at a cash machine.
The couple then both followed the victim to a shop where the woman showed the victim an item of clothing. Shortly after, the man used the victim’s card at a cash machine twice, withdrawing £700.
Officers in Norfolk identified them and tracked the pair to Cheshire, where their vehicle was stopped on the M6.
The Agafiteis were arrested and taken to King’s Lynn Police Investigation Centre for questioning before being charged.
In the wake of their sentencing, Sergeant Gary Morris, from the Breckland District Crime Unit, said this was a complex case, with the couple travelling far and wide to commit their spree, often changing vehicles and locations to evade officers.
Mr Morris said: “My thanks go out to the investigating officer, PC Luke Brown, along with the other forces involved.
“As a result of their efforts, the pair have been caught and will now serve custodial sentences.
“I am hopeful this case demonstrates that Norfolk is not an easy target, and anyone travelling to this county to commit crime will be dealt with robustly.”
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