[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

An elderly woman suspected of repeatedly stealing eggs left outside a store during early-morning delivery hours has been caught.

On Saturday, a self-employed store owner identified only as A posted on the social platform Threads about the theft, saying a tip from a neighboring shopkeeper led to the suspect's discovery and a police report that day.

According to the post, A was working inside the store when the neighboring shop owner alerted him that an elderly woman matching the suspected thief's description had been spotted nearby. A immediately ran outside and confirmed the suspect from a distance.

The woman had already moved some distance away, so A gave chase to get a closer look. After checking her clothing, sneakers and stroller against the CCTV footage, A was convinced she was the same person and called police.

"I could tell just from the back," A said. "She was wearing the same yellow-green jacket and yellow-green sneakers — and the stroller!"

A called police and said he believed he had spotted the suspect from a theft case he had reported earlier, requesting officers be dispatched.

Officers arrived at the scene, confirmed the woman's identity, and determined she appeared to match the person seen in the CCTV footage. The information was passed on to the detective handling the case.

"In the end, I caught her thanks to the owner next door," A said, expressing relief at the resolution.

A had previously posted on Threads that trays of eggs left outside the store during early-morning deliveries had been disappearing one by one, leading A and the delivery driver to suspect each other. After reviewing CCTV footage, A discovered an elderly woman had loaded a tray of eggs into a stroller and walked off.

The incident captured on camera occurred at around 4:18 a.m. on Wednesday. The woman appeared to already know where the eggs were placed, approaching the store casually, glancing around, then loading the eggs into her stroller.

"I had been thinking lately that the delivery driver kept leaving fewer eggs around 2 a.m., but I only learned the truth after checking the CCTV," A said. "I suspect she is also behind the eggs that have gone missing repeatedly until now."

Taking someone else's property without permission constitutes theft under South Korean criminal law, even when the value involved is small. Under Article 329 of the Criminal Act, theft is punishable by up to six years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,470). If the theft is habitual, the sentence can be increased by up to half.


betterj@heraldcorp.com