Police are looking for three suspects after a Toronto real estate agent was bound and blindfolded while meeting with someone posing as a client on Thursday.
The purported client was dropped off by two other men who drove away while he went inside the home with Hun Kwon Park, a Century 21 agent.
While Park and the client were inside the Lawrence Avenue East and Kingston Road home, the other two men returned. Park was then blindfolded and tied up with cables.
The men then robbed Park and ransacked the house before fleeing the scene.
Police responded to a report of a robbery at about 2 p.m. and found Park bound and suffering from minor injuries.
Witnesses saw the men fleeing from the home and there are reports that one of them may have been carrying a gun.
The badly shaken Park was unable to speak to CTV Toronto after the incident, but a colleague said the incident was disturbing.
"He's really shocked, his voice is very trembling and he was shaking. I felt very sorry for him," said the unidentified man.
The incident serves as a reminder of the risks faced by real estate agents who often meet with clients alone, in empty homes.
In February, 24-year-old Lindsay Buziak was murdered in Victoria, B.C. while she was reportedly meeting with a client.
In 2004, a Calgary realtor was raped and murdered while collecting rent payments, and in 1996 a realtor was stabbed in Mississauga by two men pretending to be potential buyers.
Linda Sargeant, a partner at Bruce Murray Realty in Toronto, said there are checks and balances in place at her firm to protect agents.
"We have a system in place where agents will speak to people about preparing their house properly, we have a buddy system at the office where agents will go out with other agents if they feel at risk," she told CTV Toronto.
Police say anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
