Tesco shoplifter instantly gets his comeuppance after broad daylight theft

A Tesco shoplifter instantly received a dose of karma after he carried out a theft in broad daylight.

Two thieves jumped behind the tills at a Tesco Express store in Wanstead, London, where they proceeded to load their bags with alcohol and tobacco.

Brave staff, customers and security tried to thwart the two crooks, clad in back, by trapping them in the store.

One of the thieves managed to escape without a hitch, however the other was not so lucky.

The second shoplifter struggled to get back from behind the tills, and an employee tried to barricade him in with crates of products.

Squeezing himself through, he was then met with a combination of customers,Tesco employees and security, who all swarmed him. Meanwhile, the automatic doors of the shop were shut.

He tried to pry the doors back open, all the while being wrestled by the crowd who tried to hold him back. In the kerfuffle, he dropped his bag with the stolen cargo, with bottles smashing on the floor.

The shoplifter eventually succeeded in prying the doors open and escaped, though not before picking up his back with the stolen goods.

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However, the thief quickly got his comeuppance, when he was hit by a car whilst doing a runner.

Though as quickly as he was hit, he speedily made a dash and left the scene with his accomplice.

London Ambulance Service have no record of a team being sent to the location on Sunday, when the incident occurred.

Both the Met Police and Tesco have been approached for comment.

To tackle a surge in shoplifting incidents, last month Tesco unveiled a 4ft smoke device in some stores that should “deter thieves” from raiding shops.

If motion sensors are activated, dense smoke funnels out and fills the room to make it difficult for items to be taken.

A message on the front of the device reads: “Warning: You’re being watched. Smoke screen security fog in operation.”

Tesco has stressed that the units are not new and are not expected to be expanded to every store.

It comes as shoplifting and attacks on shop workers have surged across Britain. The latest figures - released in February - show that 1,300 incidents of violence and abuse take place a day.

Incidents of violence and abuse in shopping centres had risen by 65 per cent from 2021-22 to 2022-23, according to a report by British Retail Consortium.