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Two days after a pair of roof painters conned an 85-year-old man out of $5000 he accidentally drove into a tree and died, Waikato police say.
Last Wednesday Cambridge man Kenneth Allan, 85, was approached by two tradesmen who offered to paint his roof for $5000.
The conmen persuaded Mr Allan that his roof needed repairing and painting, despite it being recently repaired by another reputable tradesman.
The two conmen drove Mr Allan to his bank, where he withdrew $5000.
Police said the men then took the money and left Mr Allan on the street after giving him $10 for a taxi home.
Two days later Mr Allan was driving home from visiting his wife in Waikato Hospital when he hit a tree and was taken to hospital, but died of his injuries.
Detective Scott McDougall said Mr Allan's death was a terrible tragedy.
Mr McDougall said while Mr Allan's death was not directly related to the conmen, their actions could have had some bearing on the old man's health.
"This has been extremely upsetting for all the community - Mr Allan's family, the local community and for police," he said.
"It's a very sad end to a heartless and despicable ploy to get money from a helpless, elderly victim."
Police have since been notified of another incident in Cambridge on the day Mr Allan was conned.
A 90-year-old woman was approached by two men offering to paint her roof, but she declined their offer.
The woman noted the men were driving a white van with the registration number SW8726.
Police inquiries have established that the Toyota Hiace van was sold to a trio of tradesmen in Manurewa, Auckland on November 13. They claimed they were painting a house roof in Halsey Rd in that suburb.
Police inquiries in that street have revealed the group painted the roof of an elderly woman's house. The painters were using a white van and a dark green van.
Security camera footage from a local service station that evening shows a dark green van and a person fitting the description of one of the painters.
The registration number of the dark green Mitsubishi Delicia is OX5292.
The van was reported to police in Hastings on November 18, when it was left in the Warehouse carpark for several days. It has since disappeared.
Police want to speak to the people using the two vans.
They are described as Caucasian, aged between 35 and 50 and of solid build.
Mr McDougall said police were keen to speak to anyone throughout the country who has had dealings with the tradesmen.
"It appears they are specifically targeting the elderly and vulnerable and they may be travelling around the country," he said.
"We need to talk to anyone who has dealt with them."
Anyone with information about the conmen or their vehicles should Cambridge police.
- NZPA
