Pickpocket Boldly Steals $3,000 From Woman And Puts Back Wallet Without Her Noticing [Video]

For most people, the crime of concealed theft is one imagined by popular belief due to past news reports and fiction literature. This mostly means avoiding any form of one’s identity being noticed while not looking conspicuous. This is what makes the modern-day crime of identity theft such a threat since it utilizes both very well. Netflix and even the IRS has been used as fronts for this kind of theft, and for most people, they thought it was the company’s fault. However, there are still theft crimes of the petty kind that occur though they are few and far between these days.

So when reports of a pickpocket stealing $3,000 from a woman hit the news, it was quite a surprise for some. However, what makes this crime stand out is the fact the pickpocket not only stole from the lady, they did it on camera in broad daylight in a crowded restaurant, and she returned the wallet.

According to an article by CBS, the crime happened in Tender Greens, a restaurant in Walnut Creek, California. The video above shows the female suspect rummaging in her purse at a table which is set directly next to the victim. The pickpocket seemed to have this “professionally” scouted as she waited for the customers at the table located behind the victim to leave. Once they do, she positions herself behind the victim and makes her move. Acting as if she is stretching and putting her purse down, her left hand dives into the victim’s purse and pulls out a wallet. She quickly empties it of the contents she wants and returns it back to the victim’s purse using the same act used when she got it. Nobody notices the theft – despite the restaurant being somewhat full and in broad daylight – as the pickpocket makes for a hasty, yet controlled escape. She would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for the surveillance camera that caught her. She probably thought a restaurant wouldn’t have one, which may be why she chose the location in the first place.

The Blaze followed up on the crime, and the Walnut Creek Police Department released the video to the public in hopes of getting any leads to arresting the pickpocket. Since then, another video was released of a customer, who may allegedly be the pickpocket, walking out of a store with about $1,000 worth of merchandise. That is only a third of what the pickpocket stole since the Walnut Creek Police Department states a total of $3,000, which includes credit cards, was stolen.

Now that you’ve seen the video of the bold pickpocket, what are your opinions about the crime? Does this show that we probably need to always keep a constant eye on our property in public? Please let us know in the comments below.

[Image via Bing]