Bogus police rob mum in her Gants Hill home

Sheeba Kumar went to the window of her Kenwood Gardens, Gants Hill home on Friday morning after two men rang the doorbell and was shown a wallet with a fake police ID badge.

Mrs Kumar, 38, who was at home with her 73-year-old mum, said: “They asked me if I was Mrs Kumar and I said I was.

“They then gave me the make, model, and registration of the car my husband drives and said he had been in an accident that morning near Woodford County High School, where my daughter goes.”

Mrs Kumar let the “officers” in while phoning her sister who lives in a neighbouring street to tell her about the accident.

“When I opened the door one put his hand on my face and they came into the house saying ‘we know you have gold here’.”

Mrs Kumar believes the family had been watched and said her mother had spotted the gold BMW getaway car outside two days before.

“One of the men went through my bag and then tried to drag me upstairs, but I was holding on to the hand rail so he threw me into the passageway and told me to open the safe – which I did,” she said.

The family had been burgled previously and had most of their gold stolen, but Mrs Kumar handed over two necklaces as well as her wedding rings.

A third man then entered the house and searched the rooms upstairs.

“I saw my sister coming up the pavement and said she’d called the police. One of the men then ran to the door and stole the necklace she was wearing.”

Both robbers were white. One was aged 20-23, had grey eyes and short blond hair and was wearing a navy and white long sleeved high visibility jacket with a stripe on the bottom of it.

The second was aged 27-30, with short black hair and wore a similar jacket.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Det Con Richard Sestak at Ilford CID on 020 8345 2680, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.