Three women have been jailed for a combined total of more than six years for a series of distraction burglaries targeting vulnerable individuals. Geta Schian, 33, Geneza Dumitru, 35, and Sefora Mazarache, 27, employed a tactic of charm and distraction, often complimenting or hugging their victims before snatching jewelry.
Their targeted attacks occurred across Manchester between October 2025 and January. In one incident captured on footage, the trio surrounded a 97-year-old woman seated on a walking aid on Dale Street. While Mazarache and Schian embraced the woman and held her wrist, they stole a jade bracelet. Dumitru acted as a lookout before rejoining the group.
In another instance in October 2025, Mazarache approached a woman and her child on Meldon Road in Rusholme. Mazarache flattered the pair before seizing the woman's hand and forcefully pulling on her ring. The thief then attempted to steal the woman's phone before fleeing.
Later, in November 2025, Mazarache and Schian targeted a woman walking alone on Oxford Road. They asked for food and money, then hugged the woman before leading her under an archway where they stole a gold bracelet from her wrist.
Mere hours before the incident with the 97-year-old woman, on January 10, two of the women engaged a victim in conversation while the third kept watch. One perpetrator hugged the woman and removed her ring, fleeing only when she cried for help.
Schian, from east London, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for attempted theft. Dumitru, from Manchester, received a 28-month sentence for robbery. Mazarache, also from Manchester, was sentenced to 38 months for attempted robbery.
Detective Constable Dombai of Greater Manchester Police stated that the force takes such incidents seriously and hopes the sentence sends a message that robbery will not be tolerated. He urged the public to report any similar occurrences to the police.