A supermarket boss has publicly attacked a pair of suspected thieves, whom he accused of stealing expensive cuts of meat by disguising them as birthday presents.
John-Paul Drake, director of Drakes Supermarkets, uploaded a video to Instagram yesterday showing a man and woman allegedly shoplifting packets of meat from stores in Adelaide’s north last month.
In one alleged incident captured on security cameras, a woman enters a Drakes pushing a cart with a large gift wrapped in black wrapping paper.
Wearing a colored hoodie, black sweatpants, and a pair of pink sneakers, the woman encounters a man who appears to be pushing another cart with several cuts of meat inside.
The footage then shows the woman giving the gift to the man before he places it on top of the meat packages.
A man and woman (pictured) have come under fire for using birthday presents as disguises to steal expensive cuts of meat from several Drakes supermarkets in Adelaide last month.
He then appears to exchange his cart with the woman passing by the checkout moments later.
“With my birthday right around the corner, I honestly thought they were trying to give me a gift,” Mr. Drake said wryly to the Adelaide Advertiser.
“Imagine my disappointment when they were making products disappear instead.”
The pair allegedly stole several cuts of meat believed to be worth hundreds of dollars on five separate occasions from stores in Gawler, Gawler East, Salisbury North, Clovercrest and Golden Grove.
During a visit to another store, the woman is seen carrying another large gift with several balloons tied to the top of the box.
The balloons covered his face when he entered the store.
The pair were seen on CCTV footage swapping their trolleys after the woman placed the large gift (pictured) on top of another trolley containing several packages of meat.
Moments later, the woman left the store (pictured) with what appeared to be the gift, beneath which were allegedly hidden packages of meat worth hundreds of dollars.
Drake, who regularly posts videos on social media reporting people who have allegedly stolen items, notified police about the incidents.
The report to police was made using Auror, a surveillance technology used by some supermarkets to detect retail theft.
Data from these surveillance systems can be provided to police and other law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Drake told the Today is the show Wednesday morning that he found it difficult to understand why the couple allegedly resorted to stealing the items.
“I have a theory that if you have tattoos and Foxtel, you can afford to buy food.”
A South Australian police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that police have been informed of the matter.
“Police are investigating a series of robberies that occurred in May at a supermarket chain in the northern suburbs,” the spokeswoman said.
Drake (centre) slammed the alleged thieves, telling the Today Show on Wednesday morning that if people can afford “tattoos and Foxtel”, they can also afford to pay for food.
The incidents come as police said reports of shoplifting have increased 29 percent since 2023.
According to the figures, between April 2023 and March 2024, 18,794 store robberies were reported, compared to 14,602 thefts reported the previous year.
Almost 60 per cent of shoplifting crimes in South Australia occurred at Rundle Mall in Adelaide’s CBD.
Drake said more and more people are stealing food and expensive products, such as cosmetics, and that people are using different tricks in an attempt to get their way.
“We’re seeing an increase in theft of big-ticket items, like premium cuts of meat and health and beauty lines, and people are definitely getting more brazen and creative with their methods,” he said.
Drakes Supermarkets stores have been repeatedly targeted by suspected thieves.
Recently, a man was accused of taking premium cuts of meat at a Drakes store a whopping 27 times without paying for the items.