Officers have released a CCTV image of two women they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.
The 66-year-old shopper had withdrawn a large sum of cash from Lloyds bank in Lower Parliament Street and then made her way to the Victoria Market on Saturday 24 June at around noon.
She had placed the money in her shopping trolley when she was approached by a young woman who started to speak to her.
She then noticed another woman bending down to tie her shoes. She has then realised her shopping trolley has been slashed and the money had gone.
PC Aaron Harthill-Harrison, who is investigating the incident, said: “This was extremely distressing for the victim who has lost a significant amount of money.
“It is believed that the suspects have followed the victim from the bank to the Victoria Market where she has been targeted. It is the only way they would have known the money was in the shopping trolley.
“We are also aware this type of distraction theft has happened before – where victims have been followed from their bank after withdrawing a significant amount of money.
“There is no place in our city for this type of behaviour. We have been working hard to find those responsible and spent hours combing through CCTV to track them down.
“We have released an image of two women we would like to speak to in connection with this incident. Do you recognise the people in this image? Please get in touch as soon as possible.
“We would also encourage people not to withdraw large amounts of money from their banks. If you must then please ensure you are doing so safely.”
Anyone with information can call 101 quoting incident number 0325 of 24 June, 2023 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
