A three-year-old girl has been accused of shoplifting goods from a supermarket in Glasgow, Scotland, and concealing the stolen items inside her pyjamas. The footage, captured on CCTV, appears to show the child being given instructions by her mother before carrying out the theft.
Store owner Shamly Sud, 55, was reportedly stunned when she reviewed the video and saw the young girl stuffing approximately five items down her pyjama bottoms while facing away from the camera. Sud alleged that the mother and sibling created a distraction during the incident, enabling the child to carry out the theft undetected.
The stolen goods included high-value American food products. Sud stated that it was evident the girl had been given explicit instructions by her mother, who moved with her toward the camera before guiding her to place the items down. The toddler then allegedly returned to pick up the items and carried them to the till.
Sud told reporters: "We found some items missing and when we looked back on camera we were shocked to see it was a young child. They had their back to the camera but you could see they were taking items and putting them down. I am just gobsmacked that such ayoung child has been trained to steal by a parent. This was clearly calculated."
Sud, who owns 11 stores and has worked full-time in retail since 2011, said crime in the retail industry is at its worst level ever. She added: "This is not the child at fault here. Any child is not born a thief. They are taught to do that. It is purely on the mother."
She estimated the mother to be in her mid-20s. Sud also reported that she shared the footage online and received significant backlash, but believes it is important for the public to understand the severity of the situation.
"Everyone needs to focus on just how serious this all is. This is by far the worst it has ever been and this is the most shocking thing I've ever witnessed," Sud said. "It makes you worried for the future. Not only what kind of message this sends out but how much worse things will get. There must be more of a deterrent."
Sud reported the incident to the police but said she had not received any response yet.