Three women jailed for elderly theft in Manchester

On 3 July 2026 at Manchester Crown Court, Geta Schian (16/07/1992), Geneza Dumitru (15/09/1990), and Sefora Mazarache (08/09/1998) were sentenced for a series of robberies in Manchester. The court heard how the trio worked together to distract, charm, and steal from lone women in the community.

On 9 October 2025 at around 12:35pm, Mazarache approached a mother walking her son to nursery school along Meldon Road, Rusholme. She began to compliment the woman and her young child before attempting to snatch the woman’s ring and mobile phone as she screamed for help.

On 27 November 2025 at around 1pm, a woman was walking home along Oxford Road when she was approached by Mazarache and Schian. They began to grab her and hug her, asking her to buy them food or give them money. One of the women took the woman’s gold bracelet off her wrist before they ran off in separate directions.

On 10 January 2026 at around 1:50pm, a woman was waiting for her daughter on Oxford Street when Mazarache, Schian, and Dumitru approached her. Two of them began to talk to her while the third remained on look-out. One of the women hugged the woman and attempted to take her ring, leading to her shouting for help. The trio made off with the stolen items.

On 10 January 2026 at around 3:30pm, a 97-year-old woman was waiting for her husband to pick her up along Dale Street, Manchester. Mazarache and Schian approached her, holding her hand and hugging her. During this time, they stole a jade antique bracelet from the elderly woman’s hand.

On 14 January 2026, Schian, Mazarache, and Dumitru were arrested on suspicion of theft and robbery-related offences. All three women were sentenced to over six years combined in prison at Manchester Crown Court. Geta Schian was sentenced to 28 months for attempted theft from the person of another, Sefora Mazarache to 38 months for attempted robbery, and Geneza Dumitru to 28 months for robbery.

PC Dombai from The Neighbourhood Crime Team at Longsight said: “We take reports like these very seriously. Our local police teams are committed to tackling crime and keeping the people of our communities safe. We hope this sentence sends a message that robbery will not be tolerated. We will pursue offenders and bring them to justice.”

If you see anything like this, please do report it to the police via 101 or our Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.