Theft from above
Monk’s Jewellers was hit with a break-in last week straight out of the movies.
Employees of the Westshore Town Centre store discovered the theft the morning of Sunday, April 9.
West Shore RCMP think the suspect or suspects entered the mall through a storage room and climbed into the space above the ceiling tiles.
“The suspects walked over the sprinklers and plumbing” said RCMP Sgt. Max Fossum. “Ceiling tiles are actually a very popular (break-and-enter route).”
Two watches were stolen off the counter in the jewelry store, but no alarms were triggered and no footage was caught on video. “The watches were actually cheap watches,” Fossum remarked.
RCMP investigators suspect the thief or thieves lowered a hook from the ceiling space to reel in the watches. The suspect then crawled to the West shore Dental Clinic and, presumably by the same method of using a hook, took a computer mouse.
“There is nothing showing that this is an inside job,” Fossum said. West Shore RCMP have a few leads and a possible suspect.
Online sale leads to real life arrest
A victim of theft called West Shore RCMP after spotting his stolen items posted for sale on UsedVictoria.com.
RCMP investigators sent the seller a message asking to meet to purchase the tires and rims for the asking price of $400 on March 31. The goods had been stolen from a storage locker on Industrial Way in Langford on March 26.
The suspect was arrested en route to meet the officers. The items were verified as owned by the victim.
“The suspect is well-known to police,’ Fossum said. “We are looking at forfeiture of the suspect’s vehicle.”
The suspect is a prolific offender and is scheduled to be in court June 21. Charges have not been approved at this time.
Fossum stressed the theft victim did the right thing by contacting police instead of taking it into his own hands. Victims who meet up with thieves to buy items back could get robbed again during the transaction, he said.
West Shore RCMP often monitor online classified websites such as UsedVictoria and Craigslist for fraud.
Woman tracks down burglar
A View Royal woman arrived home on April 4 to find a strange man in her home, in the 300 block of Island Highway around 7 p.m.
“She attempted to stop him, but couldn’t so she followed him,” Fossum said.
The woman, in her 50s, followed the 47-year old man until police arrived. “In his packsack were stolen goods from the home,” he said. “They included meat, a laptop, cordless phone and a power charger.”
