Three arrested after elderly woman tries to withdraw cash

Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, human trafficking and fraud by false representation.

Police in Newry say concerned staff at a building society contacted them about an attempted transaction on Friday which “roused their suspicions”.

They say a vulnerable older person was trying to make a “very large cash withdrawal”, accompanied by three people “who staff believed were exhibiting controlling behaviours” towards her.

Police officers attended the scene and carried out enquiries, leading to arrests.

Two men aged 68 and 42, and a woman aged 69 were arrested on suspicion of attempting to obtain property by deception, and possession of articles for use in fraud.

They were later further arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, human trafficking and fraud by false representation.

Building society staff used banking protocol legislation to ask a number of questions of the customer, before raising their suspicions with police.

Det Insp Keon of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the Banking Protocol “is a UK-wide initiative through which branch staff in financial institutions may enquire about financial transactions such as deposits, cash withdrawals or payment transfers, with the aim of protecting customers from financial crime”.

“The Banking Protocol sees financial institutions and the police working in partnership to safeguard the public and protect their money,” they added.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to prevent and reduce the number of financial crimes committed, particularly against older persons.”