A sweet tooth shoplifter has been arrested after allegedly trying to steal hundreds of bars of chocolate.
The alleged thief is accused of loading his shopping trolley with 241 Whittaker chocolate blocks, worth a total of $1,349.60, from a supermarket in South Auckland, New Zealand this week.
According to police, the man tried to escape with the New Zealand-made chocolate after his arrest.
“Fortunately, security personnel on scene were able to secure the cart and the offender attempted to move it before it toppled over, allowing all of the items to be recovered before he got too far,” Counties Manukau South Senior Sergeant MJ Riddle said in a statement.
Police made the arrest following an extensive investigation into a series of shoplifting incidents in South Auckland in recent weeks.
The alleged shoplifter was tracked down at a property in Papakura after police responded to information they received.
A 37-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of burglary and shoplifting.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear in court in Papakura again next Monday.
A man is currently in custody after allegedly attempting to steal this batch of chocolate from Whitakker (photo)
The 37-year-old was still trying to pull his cart when he was caught by security, who blocked the wheels
Police called the arrest an “excellent outcome” as shoplifting is “damaging” to communities.
“Police will continue to focus on the multiple violations of the regulations against retail businesses in our communities,” she said.
“This is also a great example of how the community can help us report suspicious and illegal behavior.”
In another shoplifting incident, police arrested a woman who allegedly stole more than $21,000 worth of items from multiple supermarkets in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
When she appears in Manukau District Court this week, she will face 20 charges of shoplifting.