Raided in the blink of an eye
Reporter: BEATRIZ AYALA
Date published: 29 March 2010
BUSINESSES are being urged to stay vigilant following the theft of £600 worth of goods from a Hollinwood shop.
The owner of Audio Visual Concepts, in Hollins Road, said two MP4 watches, a mobile phone watch, a remote control car and his own personal iphone was stolen.
The owner of the model, toy and hobby shop, who did not want to be identified, said: “A group of four people, two men and two women, came into the shop.
“They had Eastern European accents and the women wore headscarves.
“The older man stood in front of me and asked about buying an item priced £1.50 with what looked like a fake £50 note while the younger man walked round the shop picking items up and putting them down.
“I said I didn’t have any change and after about 10 minutes the whole group left.
“It was only after they’d gone that I realised my iphone, which I’d left on the counter, had gone.
“I checked the shop and saw the other items, which were behind unlocked glass cabinets, had gone missing as well.
“I didn’t suspect a thing at the time.”
The owner said the theft was captured on CCTV footage taken inside the shop which was handed to police yesterday.
As they group did not attempt to hide their faces, the shop owner, who has only been trading since January, believes they are from outside the borough.
He said: “Watching the footage back, I did feel stupid but they were so good at it.
“The two women were stealing while the older man was blocking my view and the younger one distracting me.
“I don’t know if they are targeting this specific area but they are clever and seem to have done it before.”
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said inquiries were ongoing.
