Category: Broadcast

Update: RCMP investigates home invasion and suspicious death

March 14, 2022, Concession, Nova Scotia…The victim of a home invasion that occurred on February 16 on Second Division Rd. has died. The RCMP is working with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office and is treating the death as suspicious.

At approximately 7:25 a.m. on February 16, Meteghan RCMP responded to a report of a home invasion on Second Division Rd. in Concession. Police learned a 64-year-old Concession man had been attacked in his home and was suffering life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported to hospital by ambulance.

The investigation is ongoing and is being lead by the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, with assistance from RCMP Forensic Identification Services, RCMP Police Dog Services, Meteghan RCMP, Southwest RCMP Traffic Services, Digby RCMP, Yarmouth RCMP General Investigation Section, the Clare/Yarmouth RCMP Street Crime Enforcement Unit and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office.

The RCMP is aware of a $10 000 reward being offered by an anonymous party for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. The RCMP is not involved in this initiative and is asking for anyone with information on this incident to please contact the Meteghan RCMP at 902-645-2326. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.

Our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this difficult time.

February 17, 2022, Concession, Nova Scotia… The Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit is investigating a home invasion that lead to a man suffering life-threatening injuries on Second Division Rd. in Concession.

At approximately 7:25 a.m. on February 16, Meteghan RCMP responded to a report of a home invasion on Second Division Rd. in Concession. Police learned a 64-year-old Concession man had been attacked in his home and was suffering life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported to hospital by ambulance.

The investigation is ongoing and is being lead by the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, with assistance from RCMP Forensic Identification Services, RCMP Police Dog Services, Meteghan RCMP, Southwest RCMP Traffic Services, Digby RCMP, Yarmouth RCMP General Investigation Section and the Clare/Yarmouth RCMP Street Crime Enforcement Unit.

Anyone with information on this incident, is asked to please contact the Meteghan RCMP at 902-645-2326. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.

File #: 2022-198192

February 17, 2022, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia… In recent weeks the Nova Scotia RCMP has noticed an increase in criminal offences involving cryptocurrency. Typically, these offences involve the loss of tens of thousands of dollars per incident, with some exceeding $100,000.

Bitcoin Investment Scams:

Criminals create fake cryptocurrency investment websites, which are often located outside of North America and out of reach for Canadian Law Enforcement.  They attract victims with the promise of returns that seem too good to be true. Victims invest their money and begin to see large increases in their investments. Victims are usually pressured to then invest more money for even greater returns. When the victim decides to cash out, the fake website will not allow it. Often times the suspects will ask for another large withdrawal fee, which of course is just another scam to steal more money from their victims. These websites usually disappear shortly thereafter, and the victims are out thousands of dollars.

Many of these scams begin on social media where victims are approached by a person online who pretends to be romantically interested.  After a while the suspects begin to introduce the idea of investing in cryptocurrency, and convinces the victims to invest in a particular (fake) cryptocurrency investment or exchange. In other instances, victims of Romance Scams have been convinced to accept money transfers, and to then withdraw the funds to purchase Bitcoin, typically through a Bitcoin ATM. The money transfers are usually redirected funds from scams such as Business Email Compromise scams, where employees are tricked into forwarding account payments to a new account. In these instances, victims are unknowingly laundering money from criminal offences into a Bitcoin account held by the suspects.    

To be safe, it’s recommended that people do diligent research and only invest in companies registered with a Canadian Securities Commission, such as the Nova Scotia Securities Commission. Of note, it is illegal for a person or company to solicit investments in Nova Scotia without registering with the Commission and complying with Nova Scotia securities laws, unless an exemption applies. You can report cryptocurrency investment scams to both the RCMP and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.

Bitcoin Thefts:

There have been instances where victims have had their Bitcoin stolen from an exchange. In two known instances victims sought out online support for their cryptocurrency in a legitimate exchange. Instead of finding the exchanges real customer support webpage, they found links that lead them to criminal actors. These criminals, pretending to be online support, convinced the victims to download a remote access software which allowed the suspects to access the victim’s cryptocurrency wallet and withdraw all the funds.

It’s important to ensure that you are on the businesses legitimate webpage, whether that is through regular online banking or cryptocurrency exchanges. Criminals can easily create fake webpages that resemble your banking or cryptocurrency login webpages. You can confirm you are on the correct webpage by ensuring that the URL (web address) is correct.     

February 16, 2022, Mill Village, Nova Scotia…East Hants RCMP are investigating a suspicious incident at a home on Indian Rd. in Mill Village.

Shortly after 6 a.m. today, police received a report of a suspected bullet hole in the window of a home located on Indian Rd. in Mill Village. Police attended the scene and learned that the complainant was awoken by what they believed to be a gun shot.

Police remain on scene and the investigation is ongoing, with assistance from RCMP Forensic Identification Services. Police have identified a person of interest and this is not believed to be a random act.

Police are asking that anyone who was in the 2500 – 3000 civic address block of Indian Rd. between 4-6 a.m. today, or anyone with information on this incident, to contact the East Hants District RCMP at 902-883-7077. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.

Police are continuing to receive reports of counterfeit Canadian currency in our region.

Over the last three months, police have received 14 reports of counterfeit Canadian $100 bills being used at local businesses.

Investigators in the Financial Crime Unit are sharing the following tips with businesses and citizens:

• It is always good idea to check the security features in bank notes before accepting them. To learn more about security features on both Canadian and American bank notes visit:
  • https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/counterfeit-prevention
  • https://www.uscurrency.gov/
• Don’t accept a bill you believe is counterfeit.
• Contact police at 902-490-5020 if you think you’ve received a counterfeit bill or if someone attempts to use a bill that appears to be counterfeit. 

On June 13^th, 2019 at 4:30 a.m. the Lunenburg County RCMP responded to the Upper Cornwall area  for a double home invasion shooting incident. Two separate men were injured at two neighbouring residences by two large male suspects discharging a 12 gauge shotgun while invading the victims homes. The Lunenburg County RCMP has continued to investigate this matter since and is now seeking any information from the public that may assist in the investigation.

Anyone with any information about tis crime can call Lunenburg County RCMP at 902 527 5555 or an anonymous tip can be made by calling  Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477 (TIPS), or on line at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or via the P3 app.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. Halifax Regional Police responded to a call for a robbery in progress at the Irving service station located at 6515 Quinpool Rd in Halifax. 

A man and a woman entered the store and the man indicated he had weapon and ran behind the counter where he took a number of packages of cigarettes.   The man and woman then fled the store on foot.  No weapon was seen and no staff members were injured during the incident. 

The first suspect is described as a white man, approximately 20-30 years old, with a tattoo on the corner of his right eye.  The man was wearing a long black jacket with fur on the hood and was wearing a mask.

The second suspect is described as a white woman, approximately 20-30 years old, wearing a full length white winter jacket, a white hat and white pants. 

The investigation is in its early stages. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or video from the area to call 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or using the P3 Tips App.

Police are investigating a suspicious incident that occurred in Halifax on the weekend.

On February 13 at approximately 6:25 p.m., police responded to a report of an incident that had happened a few minutes earlier where a man followed two women who were walking in the area of Grafton and Blowers streets. The man chased the women as they ran to their vehicle and tried to open the door and kicked the vehicle as the women drove away.

The man had left the area prior to officers arriving on scene.

The suspect is described as a white man in his thirties, approximately 6’ tall with a medium build. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black puffy winter coat with blue jeans and a black mask.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or using the P3 Tips App.

At approximately 4:00 pm, Halifax Regional Police responded to a call for a stabbing which had occurred near the Lions Wave Pool, 16 Sussex Street, Halifax.

A 16-year-old youth has been taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Suspect has been identified as a white male, wearing a black puffy jacket with hood, and black face mask.

There are no immediate threats to the public, and police ask for the public’s assistance in remaining away from the 400 block of Herring Cove Road while they complete their preliminary investigation.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or using the P3 Tips App.

GO #22-16978

Police are continuing to investigate three separate assaults where a man sprayed three different women with a sensory irritant in Halifax last year.

On December 8, 2021 at approximately 5:30 p.m., police received a report of an incident that had occurred 15 minutes earlier in the 1700 block of Market Street. A man approached a man and a woman in a parkade and sprayed a sensory irritant at the woman. The suspect then fled the area on foot.

At 6:07 p.m. police responded to two additional incidents that had just occurred where a man had sprayed a woman with a sensory irritant. One incident occurred in the area of Market and Sackville streets and the other occurred on Prince Street between Barrington and Grafton streets. In both incidents, the man sprayed the sensory irritant at the woman as he walked past her.

The suspect was not known to the victims. He is described as a white man, approximately 5’10” to 6’ tall with a thin build. He was wearing a black parka with beige fur around the hood, jeans and a dark colored face mask. In the last two incidents, he appeared to be listening to loud music playing from his phone.

Police are releasing photos of the suspect and are asking anyone with information on his identity to contact police.

Anyone with information or video from the area at the time of the incidents is asked to contact police at 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or by using the P3 Tips app. http://ow.ly/PpIs30saa0I

File # 21-152116 21-152128 21-152129

February 8, 2022, Barrington Passage, Nova Scotia…The Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit is investigating the delivery of suspicious packages to three Federal Constituency Offices in Southwestern Nova Scotia.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on February 7, Barrington RCMP, fire and EHS responded to a complaint of a package having been received at a Federal Constituency Office in Barrington Passage. Police learned that an employee had opened a package and began having difficulty breathing and their eyes and skin became irritated. Police secured the area until officers trained in the safe handling of irritants could attend the scene. The affected employee was transported to hospital by ambulance for decontamination and did not suffer further injury.

The RCMP took steps to notify all Federal Constituency Offices in Nova Scotia of the incident.

At approximately the same time, Bridgewater Police Service responded to a complaint of a similar suspicious package having been received at the Federal Constituency Office in Bridgewater. Police learned that the employees were aware of the incident in Barrington Passage and no one had handled the package, nor suffered adverse effects from it. Bridgewater Police seized the package for testing. Shortly after 1 p.m., Yarmouth Town RCMP responded to a complaint of a similar suspicious package having been received at the Federal Constituency Office in Yarmouth. Police learned that the package had not been opened, but that an employee who handled the package did experience skin irritation. The employee did not require medical attention. Yarmouth Town RCMP seized the package for testing.

The Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit is leading the investigations, gathering information and evidence. The packages are suspected to have contained a chemical irritant, and further testing is being conducted to identify the substance. The investigation is being assisted by RCMP Forensic Identification Services and the RCMP Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Unit (CBRNE).

Anyone with information on these incidents, is asked to please contact the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-365-3160. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.

File #’s: 2022-158734, 2022-158595, 2022-159223