Police are investigating a recent crime in which an elderly man was lured out of his Appleblossom Lane home and into his backyard, during which time a burglar or burglars secretly entered his house and swiftly stole an estimated $4,500 worth of valuables from within, escaping without the man realizing that crimes had occurred.

Police Detective Jason Frank said November 3 that the crime took place at about 3 pm on Friday, October 17.

Police received a report about the crime about 9 pm that night, after another resident of the home realized that a burglary/larceny had occurred there.

Det Frank said there have been a series of about a dozen such “distraction burglaries” reported in the state during the past six months.

Also on October 17, police in Derby received a report of such a crime having occurred there, he said. A similar crime was attempted, but foiled, that day in Westport, he said.

Such crimes also have occurred in Monroe and West Haven, Det Frank said.

It appears that the same group of criminals is committing the crimes, he noted.

The October 17 Newtown incident is the first time in memory that such an incident has occurred here, Det Frank said.

The detective described what occurred.

A man, possibly Hispanic, with neat dark hair, who is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, went to the front door of a single-family house on Appleblossom Lane, which is a side street off South Main Street.

A resident in his mid-70s who lives there then came to the door.

The man told the resident that he was a builder, who planned to do some construction in a wooded area behind the man’s rear yard. The “builder” asked that the resident indicate to him the property boundaries in the area before the construction started.

The “builder” then made a cellphone call to someone, but the resident was not able to hear what was being said, according to the detective.

The resident spent about ten minutes in his backyard with the “builder,” Det Frank said.

While the elderly man was outdoors behind his home being distracted by the “builder,” another criminal or criminals secretly entered his house and stole valuables from within, Det Frank said.

The man later told police that he had not seen any other people or vehicles in the area at that time.

After the man’s wife returned home on October 17, she discovered that jewelry had been stolen and that a closet in their house had been ransacked. She then called police at about 9 pm, six hours after the crimes had occurred.

Det Frank said town police want to alert the public that such a crime has occurred in town. He urged that residents protect themselves from being the victims of such crimes.

Residents should be wary of any solicitors approaching them and should ask such people for identification, he said.

If residents have doubts about the legitimacy of such situations, they should call police at 203-426-5841, the detective said.