Local businesses in the Laudium/Erasmia area, have reported an increase in crime carried out by thieves pretending to be customers, which crime is not even being reported to the local police.
Many of the business owners told the Laudium Sun, that they have seen a marked increase in children being used by parents, to steal items from local shops, while one or even both parents distract the staff, by pretending to be interested in buying the more expensive items in the shop.
In one of the latest such incidents reported to the Laudium Sun, a local father and his 10 year-old son, entered a furniture store, the previous Friday afternoon, at around 3:15pm. The father, (whose name is withheld to protect the identity of the child) is believed to have pretended to be interested in buying a bed from ‘Bestway Design Studio’ at HS Ebrahim Centre, on Bengal Street in Laudium.
Allegations are that while the father kept the owner of the store, Zaheer Ahmad distracted with several questions about the various beds available for sale, the 10-year-old child stole three mobile phones from the counter, namely a Samsung A25, a Redmi C15, and a Samsung A53, all black in colour, with a total value of more than R10,000, after which both father and son made a sudden disappearance.
Zaheer Ahmad the owner of ‘Bestway Design Studio’, told the Laudium Sun, “I would like to share the incident that took place at my shop recently. I got a customer, a local adult, who was accompanied by his 10-year-old child. Both were well dressed, with the father pretending to be an interested customer. They walked inside like a normal father and son and at that time I was busy assisting another customer in the shop. Then, when the first customer left, the father approached me and introduced the boy as his 10-year-old son. The father asked about a bed. I showed him a bed which was placed towards the back of the shop. I explained the quality, the pricing and the material, while he continued asking me different questions about beds. The father kept me busy by asking more questions, moving from one detail to another. Now, in hindsight, he was clearly trying to keep my attention away from the front counter. During that time, I noticed the child near the counter where my phones were kept. I did not notice anything unusual at that moment because I was focused on assisting the father. That is about the time I believe that the child stole my three phones from the counter. The phones were a Samsung A25, a Redmi C15, and a Samsung A53, all black in colour. I was lucky that I did not have any cash in the drawer at that time, otherwise the loss could have been even worse. After I finished assisting the adult, he told me that he would come back later with a bakkie to collect the bed. I agreed and told him that it was not a problem. At that stage, I still had no suspicion and believed that he was a genuine customer who would return. After he left with the boy, I went back to the counter to assist another customer who had just walked in to make a payment. When I looked at the counter, I noticed that one of my phones was missing. I checked again and realised that my second phone was also gone. The third phone, which was on charge, was also removed from the charger. At that moment, I realised that I had been distracted and that the phones had been stolen. I immediately rushed outside to look for the two, but by the time I got outside they were already gone. There was a gap of about five to ten minutes and they used that time to disappear. I strongly believe that this was a planned act and that the ‘father and son’ were working together as a team. I believe the adult deliberately kept me distracted while the child carried out the theft. Because the child is young, no one would suspect him of stealing and he could move around freely without drawing attention. They come in well dressed and behave like normal customers, which makes it even harder to detect their intentions. I feel that this is a method that is being used more often, where adults use children to commit theft in shops. I believe they move from shop to shop using the same tactic, creating a distraction and then stealing items from the counter. I want to warn other business owners to remain alert at all times, even when customers appear genuine, because incidents like this can happen very quickly and without any warning.”
Ebrahim Dahir, assistant at the nearby Medicare Pharmacy at HS Ebrahim Centre, told the Laudium Sun, “I feel very bad about the theft of the cellphones at Bestway Design Studio. This kind of crime is very disturbing because it shows how desperate thieves are becoming, now even using their own children to steal. I feel that nowadays we cannot trust anyone, even people who appear genuine and well presented. I have experienced similar situations before and I know how quickly things can happen when attention is diverted. I feel that this kind of crime where children are used, makes it even more difficult for business owners and shop assistants to stay alert, because no one would easily suspect a child of stealing. I think it is very wrong for an adult to involve a child in such criminal activities. I believe that a child should be protected and guided in the right direction, not used to commit crime. I also believe that these criminals are becoming more organised and are using different tactics to distract people while the theft takes place. I think that businesses must now be extra careful and always be aware of their surroundings, even during normal working hours. I strongly hope that the police will investigate this matter and that the adult responsible will be caught. I believe that strict action must be taken so that such incidents do not continue in our community. I feel that safety in our area is becoming a serious concern and something needs to be done to stop these kinds of crimes.”
