Two men on the run after toilet paper knife theft
Two men are on the run after stealing toilet paper at knifepoint from several Woolworths stores across the southwest on Sunday. Police say the pair took multiple packs and an employee was threatened. ~
NSW
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Police are hunting for two men who stole more than 500 toilet paper rolls from Woolworths supermarkets across Sydney’s southwest.
The pair struck between 7pm and 8.30pm on Sunday at supermarkets in Granville, Auburn, Bass Hill and Lidcombe, there they got into restricted storage areas.
Police said the two men appeared to be targeting toilet paper and stole multiple packs from the Granville and Auburn stores, however, left empty-handed from the stores in Bass Hill and Lidcombe.
“It was also reported that one of the men threatened an employee with a knife at the Auburn store,” police said in a statement today.
Officers from Wetherill Park Region Enforcement Squad (RES) have commenced an investigation and are now appealing to the community for information.
Police have released the descriptions and photographs of two men they believe may be able to assist with inquiries.
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The first man is depicted as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, about 185-190cm tall, aged in his 30s, with a solid build. He has tattoos on his arms and was wearing a grey collared shirt with long blue track pants.
The second man is described as being 175-180cm tall with a slim build, aged between 30-35, and at the time was wearing black ‘Adidas’ pants and a camouflaged hooded jumper.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott, urged anyone with information to come forward and report to police.
“I support any measures taken by police to protect our communities from this sort of disgraceful criminal activity, “ he said.
“The people of NSW will not tolerate criminal behaviour at any time let alone during this crisis.
“People need to grow up and look out for our most vulnerable.”
Investigators are also appealing for anyone who may have been in the areas around the time of the thefts and noticed suspicious activity to come forward.
A Woolworths spokesman said they would not tolerate violence or aggressive behaviour towards their staff and would not hesitate to call the police.
“Our teams are working tirelessly to stand by the Australian community through difficult times, so we ask all customers to treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve,” the spokesman said today.
“The safety of our team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence or aggressive behaviour towards them in any circumstance.
“We will not hesitate to refer matters of this nature to police for them to pursue the full force of the law.”
Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000
Originally published as Two men on the run after toilet paper knife theft