CAFES and restaurants were crime targets last week – some possibly by the same offender.
In the first raid, a thief used a gas cylinder to force entry to the Hattori Hanzo restaurant, Station St, Cheltenham, overnight Tuesday last week, stealing a quantity of cash.
CCTV footage shows a man wearing light-coloured hoodie with a T-shirt wrapped around his face enter the restaurant and go directly to the front bar. He tried to jemmy open the till before picking it up and taking it outside, where the cash was stolen.
The same man is believed to have unsuccessfully tried to rob the Garden of Good and Evil café next door. He then used a crow bar to attempt entry to the Nutmegtree café in Station St, Cheltenham, damaging the rear door causing several hundred dollars damage.
The same night, a man broke into the Galiano café at Southland shopping centre, stealing cold meats and three jars of cookies valued at $250.
He is described as Caucasian, skinny, wearing dark pants, dark long-sleeved top. It appears a female was acting as lookout.
The owner of the Station Stop café, Como Pd, Parkdale, was woken Sunday by a noise at the rear of the premises. Damage had been caused to a glass sliding door and quantity of cash taken from the till.
A “silhouette” was seen running down Parkers Rd.
Anyone with information should call Kingston CIU, 9556 6565.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 9 December 2015