THIS is the moment a woman snatched two wedding dresses, totalling £4,000, off the rack and flees with them under her arms.
The runaway bride entered a bridal shop three other women in trench coats before she grabbed the gowns and sprinted away pursued by one member of staff.
The other women pile up two wedding dresses on the shop-lifter[/caption]
The woman ran down the street with the wedding dresses in broad daylight[/caption]
CCTV shows the bridal bandits entered Brides in the City, on St George’s Road, Glasgow, at 2:30pm on Monday, September 22.
Shop owner Deborah Mulholland told The Daily Record: “The group of girls came in to our store and were welcomed as usual.
“They looked well-dressed and presentable so we assumed they were in to browse or buy one of our dresses like everyone else.”
Footage shows the group sniggering as they entered with one of the women urging her companions to keep quiet.
“When they began to move dresses from each side of the shop, my staff became suspicious. Suddenly, they bolted out of the shop with two dresses,” said Deborah.
She continued: “My staff member must have flown into a state of fight, flight or freeze because she bolted after them.
“She chased them down Sauchiehall Street before they were brought to a stop by a member of the public who stood in front of them.
“They dropped the dresses and we were thankfully, and luckily, able to retrieve them.”
The thieves managed to make an escape and police are still looking for the maids-of-dishonour.
The Daily Record reported that these women are part of a larger group who have been committing brazen retail thefts across central Scotland.
“This group is well-known to anybody working in retail in the central belt. They operate as part of a wider group and steal anything of value.
“It’s been going on for three years now and yet they still haven’t been stopped. When they come into your store and if you don’t know who they are, you wouldn’t initially think of them as being shoplifters.”
The shop worker from a food store in Rutherglen continued: “They dress and present themselves well, but they are serial thieves who have been ransacking stores for far too long now.
“As well as targeting large high street retailers, they’re also going for small and independent businesses – putting peoples’ livelihoods in jeopardy.”
Retailers Against Crime, an organisation representing thousands of businesses all over Scotland confirmed to The Record that the shop-lifters are a known issue.
“These individuals are part of a wider who travel extensively across the central belt to commit crime.
“These offenders are known to a lot of the retailers that we support,” said managing director, Maxine Fraser.
Police Scotland are making inquires into the theft at the bridal store, and a spokesperson confirmed that officers received a report of the robbery.
Thankfully the two £2,000 wedding dresses were retrieved[/caption]
They entered giggling and one of the group puts her finger to her lips[/caption]
The women appeared to be regular customers browsing the store[/caption]
