Pregnant pilferer

Aurangzeb Akhtar with identical car that was stolen.

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A “pregnant” shoplifter had more than a bun in the oven after she visited a Chadderton electronics and convenience store.

The young woman, whose bump was covered with a brown flowing dress, slid a radio-controlled model car under her clothes.

And despite having a wad of notes in her hand she also raided sweets, crisps and chocolate on display.

Now shopkeeper Aurangzeb Akhtar is warning other stores to keep a watch for her and two male companions in the run up to Christmas.

After running through his CCTV, Mr Akhtar is convinced the woman had a large bag or a pouch under her outsize dress, and that all three were working together.

Mr Akhtar (38), who opened AA Electronics and Convenience Store in Block Lane in February, said: “She looked really heavily pregnant and she had one hand at the top of the bump and the other at the bottom.

“I started to get suspicious when she had a load of £20 notes in her hand —there must have been £2,000 — and she asked me to change them for tenners. I told her it was a shop not a bank, and I was worried the notes were fake, but she paid for some cigarettes for the men with a £20 note, and that was real.

“When I was serving one man, another went over to the toys and put the car on the top so she could handle it.

“Then both men stood in front of me and started buying crisps and sweets.”

He checked his CCTV later and saw how she stood to the side of the counter and slid the car under her clothes.

He added: “When she left I only saw her from the back but by then she had a lump at the side and looked very oddly pregnant.

“I’m not sure if she had a sort of kangaroo pouch or big bag underneath her dress, but the lump looked even bigger.”

Mr Akhtar, who has traded in shops in Oldham for over 10 years, said the car was new £6.99 stock put out by his wife on Sunday.

The trio struck on Monday about 5pm. All were light skinned, and the men, who spoke in Arabic, had very poor English.

The incident has been reported to police.