Two men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, in Agios Panteleimonas—a northern Athens suburb—for an attempted fraud targeting a 99-year-old woman. According to the Hellenic Police (ELAS), the suspects posed as employees of an electricity supply company and contacted the elderly woman by phone, falsely claiming there was an electrical leak at her residence. Under this pretext, they tried to convince her to place jewelry and cash into a bag and leave it outside her apartment door.
Swift Police Intervention Prevents Theft
The woman’s son alerted the Emergency Response Center (KAD), prompting immediate action. Officers from the DIAS Rapid Response Unit and the Agios Panteleimonas Criminal Investigations Department rushed to the scene. Moments later, they spotted the 25-year-old suspect entering the building with clear intent to retrieve the bag—only to be intercepted at the entrance. Upon seeing police officers, he attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended.
Simultaneously, the 24-year-old suspect—described by ELAS as the ‘lookout’—was detained nearby inside the vehicle the pair had used. Authorities confirmed he had been monitoring the area during the attempted fraud.
Broader Criminal Pattern Uncovered
Investigators determined that the two men were part of an organized group engaged in repeated fraud schemes targeting vulnerable elderly individuals. Preliminary findings indicate they had also attempted—over a two-day period—to defraud a 57-year-old woman in Glyfada, a southern Athens municipality. A photograph of her front door was found on a seized mobile phone, suggesting surveillance and planning.
To date, authorities have linked the suspects to three separate fraud attempts across Agios Panteleimonas, Glyfada, and Ampelokipoi. The total value of stolen or intended loot exceeds €13,000.
A formal criminal file has been submitted against both men for participation in a criminal organization, repeated and attempted fraud, and attempted robbery. They were subsequently transferred to the competent Public Prosecutor’s Office for further judicial proceedings.