The 72-year-old woman reported to the District Police Headquarters in Złotoryja, informing officers that a woman whom she had asked for help in a shop had stolen her wallet, which contained documents, a bank card and money.
– The complainant explained that while shopping, she took her wallet out of her handbag, and it unfortunately slipped from her hands. She suspected that it had fallen under the shelves, but due to her medical conditions and limited physical mobility, she was unable to check herself where it was – reports Aspirant Dominika Kwakszys, press officer of the District Police Headquarters in Złotoryja. – She asked a younger woman passing by for help. The woman checked under the shelves several times and told the senior that her wallet was not there, then continued shopping.
Meanwhile, the senior asked the shop staff for help. The spokesperson said:
The employees also failed to find the wallet, but decided to review the security camera footage. It then became clear that the wallet had been found and stolen by the woman whom the senior had asked for help. The footage shows how the woman bends down and looks under the shelves, then distracts the senior and, at that moment, takes the wallet from underneath the shelf and puts it in her handbag.
The police took over the investigation. A description of the suspect was established. Officers quickly tracked her down. Aspirant D. Kwakszys said: – They stopped the public transport vehicle in which the woman was travelling, then, to her surprise, detained her and brought her to the District Police Headquarters in Złotoryja.
It turned out that, in addition to stealing the wallet, the suspect had twice attempted to use the senior’s bank card. Immediately after the theft, she tried to pay for purchases in another shop and then tried to withdraw money from an ATM. She failed in both cases.
The officers recovered the stolen cash and the wallet containing documents, which the suspect had thrown away. The property was returned to the 72-year-old, who made no secret of her gratitude. The detained woman was charged with three criminal offences. The court will decide her fate. The police said: – She faces up to 10 years in prison.