7 News Belize

Children Caught Stealing - Adult Set Them Up
posted (April 27, 2012)
Shoplifting, it's a plague to businesses all over the world - and Belize is no exception. There are many well-known shoplifters who've been before the court many times.

But tonight, the shoplifting that we'll show you takes it to another level. It shows children caught in the act on surveillance cameras.

It is disturbing in and of itself, but it's even worse because it appears that an adult is putting them up to it. Now, you probably can't even imagine the social circumstances that would push people to this - but for the shopkeepers who keep losing inventory - they don't care to know - they just want the thievery to stop.

Monica Bodden visited with one of them days ago. We have blurred the faces of all the persons involved.

Here's her report:..

Monica Bodden reporting
Nutrinatura Store is one of the many businesses located in the downtown Plaza.

It is also one of the many businesses that were targeted yesterday afternoon by a group of children - who were on a shoplifting mission with the help of an adult.

What you're about to see, will shock you. The woman in the wife-beater seems to be getting help from the store's salesperson but little would you imagine that she is only a distraction.

Just moments earlier, she entered the store with 3 children. As she headed down towards another aisle - the salesperson followed behind and that's when one of the youngsters passed both women and made her way to the exact rack - picked up one of the dresses… took it off the hanger, folded it and then stuffed it away in her handbag.

While another little boy met her down the same aisle with a dress in his hand which was later stuffed in his knapsack. And it continued just like this until their bags were filled up with at least one hundred and twenty dollars' worth of merchandise.

Little did they know that there were 3 surveillance cameras inside the store - which caught their every move.

Store Owner - Walter Campos told us he noticed the group acting a little suspicious and decided to review his camera.

Walter Campos - Owner, Nutrinatura Store
"At 12 o'clock, some of my workers started to make checks around the store. Apparently some people are coming in to steal. What have happened is that a lady came in with three children. She distracts one of my workers so that the children could steal."

"The total value of items stole is one hundred and twenty dollar. It is very important for me to report this because crime in the city is high. We should report these incidents so that crime goes down."

"I've already reported this incident and police has identified one of the persons that participated in the stealing."

"Apparently these same persons have stolen from a neighboring store in the same plaza."

The Plaza security guard became aware of the situation and held the children. That was when it was discovered that the children had just exited another store where a cellphone was stolen. The phone was found on one of them. And just last week another store in the plaza got a visit from the same faces.

This time the children walked inside the store and stole 2 bottles of lip gloss. They were confronted by one of the salespersons who also noticed something suspicious.

That was when one of the youngsters put the lip-gloss back on the shelf.

We could not confirm if the adult was charged.

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