Two men and two women who stole cash and jewellery from an 85-year-old woman in Harrogate have been jailed for over 26 years in total.

The gang, who posed as NHS workers and preyed on older and vulnerable people, carried out a spree of distraction burglaries.

They travelled from Leeds into North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire to steal from people in their 80s and 90s, taking advantage of their trusting and kind nature.

Levantica Dragusin, 32, of Edgware Street, Harehills, Monika Dumitra, 24, of Edgware Place, Harehills, Ion Paun, 29, of Edgware Place, Harehills, and Zavaian Paun, 32, of Edgware Place, were all jailed at York Crown Court today (August 22).

They operated by travelling together by car before the men would drop the women off at their targeted location and the women, dressed in NHS-style clothing, called at the homes of older people posing as trainee doctors, asking for sponsorship to pay for non-existent medical school.

Once inside their victims’ homes, one of the women would ask to “use the toilet”, while the other distracted the victim. Instead of using the toilet they would hunt for cash and valuables before leaving with their stolen haul. The men in the group would then pick them up and take them onto their next vulnerable victim.

Fled the scene

On May 22 this year, they travelled to Harrogate and stole cash and jewellery from the 85-year-old woman. They then travelled to York where they targeted a man in his 90s using the same scenario. They then returned to Leeds before travelling to Scarborough where they preyed on an 87-year-old woman.

However, they were stopped in their tracks thanks to a man who realised something was not right when he saw the pair calling at his neighbour's home. After seeing them enter her house, he called at the door and challenged the pair, asking them for identification. The pair then left the house empty-handed and fled the scene.

They then went on to target another victim in Bridlington where they stole cash and jewellery from an 89-year-old woman.

However, in the meantime, North Yorkshire Police had been called to the incident in Scarborough and were able to track the defendants’ vehicle to East Yorkshire and passed on the information to Humberside Police whose roads policing officers intercepted their car. On stopping the vehicle, they found all four defendants inside, still in possession of the jewellery and stolen items from the Bridlington burglary.

North Yorkshire Police then led what was a complicated investigation that spanned the UK and Europe back to the defendants’ home country of Romania.

All four have been remanded in custody since they were charged with conspiracy to commit burglary in May 2025, and when faced with overwhelming evidence of their crimes, had no option but to plead guilty.

'One of the most disgusting crimes I have investigated'

Detective constable Sam Rivers of Scarborough CID, said: 

All four were jailed for six years and two months each for conspiracy to burgle, with Levantica Dragusin handed an additional 10 months for a separate burglary.