Alleged wallet thief Placing a purse in the child seat of a shopping cart could mean saying goodbye to the wallet or its contents inside the handbag.

A thief has been targeting elderly women shopping in local stores. Since June 13, shopping carttype wallets thefts in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village have been linked to one person, who has also been linked by police to one of three wallet thefts reported in Simi Valley.

The thief only takes about two minutes to commit his crime. He’ll walk into a store, grab a free newspaper or magazine from the instore display and find a shopper with her purse in the child carrier of the cart. As soon as the shopper turns her head away from her cart, the thief makes his move—unzips the purse, grabs the wallet, hides it inside the newspaper and goes out the door, said Thousand Oaks Detective Daniel Blanck.

The shopper doesn’t even have to walk away from the cart. Often she’s still within inches of her purse. The thief moves right

n, getting very close to the unsuspecting shopper, Blanck said.

“One lady just opened the freezer door and he was right

here. Another turned her head to pick up some produce,” he said.

The subject is on video, and his boldness is amazing, the de

ective said. The thief is described as a Hispanic male about 35 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall and 165 to 185 pounds.

In Thousand Oaks, the thief has hit Ralphs on Moorpark Road, Albertsons on Avenida de Los Arboles, Orchard Supply Hardware on Avenida de Los Arboles and CVS/Pharmacy on Moorpark Road. Vons stores in Agoura Hills and Westlake Village were also hit, as was the Target store in Newbury Park.

“Women should keep their purses on their shoulder. I know it’s uncomfortable, but it keeps them safe,” Blanck said.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call isn’t recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers

RIPE FOR THE PICKIN’— An open purse that contains an easily snatched billfold sits in a grocery cart in a local grocery storeWhile the shopper is preoccupied, looking at products or fetching them from shelves, a male thief has been stealing wallets.