Panty Thief Took Advantage of Open Houses
February 1, 2002 7:36 am EST

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A Canadian man who police say stole women's undergarments while visiting dozens of real estate open houses and then made obscene phone calls to the items' owners has been arrested on several charges.

The suspect, posing as a prospective home buyer, is alleged to have pilfered lingerie from as many as 100 victims who had their houses up for sale in the southeastern suburbs of Calgary, Alberta, over the past year, Detective Stu Morse said on Thursday.

"It was always the same modus operandi," Morse said. "So far we've recovered over 200 pairs of panties and bras and things like that, so if you average two or three items taken from each place, you're looking at between 50 and 100 victims."

In each case, the 35-year-old suspect found the home seller's telephone number and later made indecent calls to the owner of the underwear, police said.

"He would comment on the lingerie and make suggestions with regard to how it may look on the victim, and things of that nature," Morse said.

In their investigation, police put a man under surveillance and he was finally caught making an obscene telephone call from a pay phone, they said.

Meanwhile, women who fear they were victimized by the man, nicknamed "the Panty Bandit" by police, continue to come forward.

Police have asked a judge to recommend the suspect undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment.