ATLANTA — A man has been caught on camera stealing right off the shelves.
As police search for the thief, the store owner is opening up to Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez, saying the crime is heartbreaking.
“I was so shocked, I could not believe it," said Firoz Lilywala.
Lilywala said he could not believe a man he thought was a nice person and customer ended up being a criminal who was stealing from his business.
"It’s really hard," Lilywala said.
He said the part that hurts the most is that the man seen in the video stashing his pockets with candy is a regular at his gas station and convenience store.
“He comes all the time here at my store,” he said.
Once inside the store, police say, the man went from aisle to aisle snatching up snacks. He did it as 32 cameras were rolling.
"Every time he come to my store. He was thinking we were not watching. Thank god we caught him, finally,” Lilywala said.
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Lilywala said after reviewing old video and his financial records he now knows this thief and other criminals have swiped hundreds upon hundreds of dollars of merchandise from this store.
"We are losing the money.”
Losing money doesn’t just affect his bottom dollar, it affects his livelihood and his ability to provide for his family.
“At the end of the day and at the end of the month when you’re paying bills, mortgage, you cannot make it,” he said.
Now, the owner says one of the outside cameras got a shot of the white Dodge the suspect got away in. Detectives are currently trying to track this guy down through the license plate.
Cox Media Group
