Durham couple held hostage, robbed in home invasion in Forest Hills neighborhood
An elderly couple were held hostage in their home by armed men posing as workers this week, the Durham Police Department confirmed Friday.
Two males dressed as construction or service workers came to the 1000 block of Wells Street on Wednesday morning, saying they were there to check on pipes at the home in the Forest Hills neighborhood southwest of downtown.
Police responded to the home invasion call shortly before 9:30 a.m. They did not say when the crime occurred.
The robbers entered the home, pulled out handguns and zip-tied the elderly residents.
They then forced them to transfer “a large sum” of money in cryptocurrency to an account, Durham police said in a statement.
Before leaving in a black SUV, the men destroyed the couple’s cellphones and computer, police said.
The residents were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Police are continuing to investigate the home invasion.
Anyone with any information about this case is asked to call Investigator C. Walker at (919) 560- 4440 extension 29311 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 12:14 PM.
