A devious shoplifter stole tens of euros worth of cigarettes from four different supermarkets on Monday. The man struck at stores in Herpen, Vinkel, Heesch and Oss and used the same trick every time to avoid paying.
Martijn van den Berg, owner of the Plus in Herpen, is very angry. He says that a man in a cap entered the supermarket on Monday afternoon and did his shopping like any other customer. Even at the cash register there seemed to be nothing wrong, but his devious trick started at the checkout.
“He asked if he could get his debit card in his car. After that he never came back.”
“At the checkout he asked for some packs of cigarettes, rolling tobacco and rolling papers. They were the first to go through the scan at the cashier, after which he immediately put the tobacco in his jacket pockets,” explains Martijn. “Then she scanned the bread, toppings and bananas and he put them in a bag. The man then wanted to pay with his phone, but when that didn’t work, he asked if he could get his debit card in his car. After that he never came back.”
“Our colleague was completely taken aback that she had been robbed under her own nose.”
Because the thief left the bag with groceries, the employee did not immediately start. But when the man had run off, she realized that he had also taken the packs of cigarettes, totaling about 98 euros. “Our colleague was completely taken aback that she had been robbed under her own nose,” says Martijn.
And so were four other supermarket employees in the area. Because the thief pulled the same trick at the Coop in Vinkel, and Jumbo stores in Oss and Heesch. The entrepreneurs do not recognize the man and have therefore shared the camera images on Facebook. A report has also been filed with the police.