What is the “pigeon method”, a new way of robbery. A man from Cluj was left without money and goods worth more than 10,000 euros

Four men were detained by the police from Cluj-Napoca, being accused of entering the house of an 89-year-old man under the pretext that he had a pigeon stuck in the attic of the house. Thus, they stole money and goods worth a total of 52,000 lei, the Cluj County Police announced on Thursday, quoted by Agerpres.

According to the Police, on January 28 the police officers of the 1st Cluj Napoca Police Department detained for 24 hours four men aged between 19 and 41, from the counties of Cluj and Mureş, for aggravated theft.

“The research showed that, on October 20, 2025, two of the men would have illegally entered a building in the Cluj Napoca municipality, taking advantage of the advanced age of the injured person, an 89-year-old man, whom they would have misled under the pretext of an unreal situation. At the same time, the other two would have ensured the surveillance of the area and their support,” say IPJ Cluj representatives.

Judicial sources told Agerpres that the four men told the old man that he had a pigeon stuck in the attic of the house and that they needed to check the interior.

The four stole 40,000 lei from the old man's home, as well as gold jewelry. The total damage was estimated at 52,000 lei and was fully recovered on January 28, after the police identified the four men, the Police also say.