The woman was shopping with his sister, who is 80 years oldand was putting groceries from their two shopping carts into his car, when two men started talking to his sister.

She thought the men were targeting them because of their age.

While the sister was distracted talking to one of the men, the other man grabbed the woman’s purse from her cart.

The woman said she noticed out of the corner of her eye what the man was doing, but was too scared to say or do anything, due to the intimidating demeanor and large size. men.

Above all, she didn’t want to alert her sister, who, she thought, would retaliate.

Once she left the supermarket, the woman called the police and got in touch with Pak’nSave, with staff later confirming the incident had been captured on CCTV.

She still hasn’t gotten her bag back.

“I want older people to know, just be careful with their bags. It was just in my cart but they took advantage of us,” the woman said.

“It was very, very scary for me. It’s just that my whole life was in my bag.

A statement from Foodstuffs, which runs Pak’nSave, said the safety of team members and customers is the company’s top priority and that such incidents at Pak’nSave Kaitāia are rare.

“For added security, the store has a CCTV system covering the car park and we have made footage available to the police to assist with their investigation.”

Foodstuffs advises customers to keep their wallets with them and avoid leaving valuable items unattended.

Once customers have finished shopping, it is also recommended that they place their belongings in the car before unloading their cart, placing them in the trunk rather than the more visible front seat.

Senior sergeant, responsible for police zone intervention Richard Garton said police received a report that a woman shopping in Kaitāia realized she had forgotten her handbag in the trolley on her way home and returned to the supermarket to discover that it had been stolen.

The woman said that when she first called police, she was nervous and full of confusion and disbelief at what had happened.

But she was then able to remember more clearly what had happened, and CCTV footage from the store confirmed when the bag was recovered.

Garton said it was a reminder to people to be careful about the safety of their valuables.

“Thieves are opportunistic and while most in our community would have handed the bag over to the police or store, this highlights the need to be vigilant about the safety of your belongings.”

Police have filed a complaint, pending further evidence becoming available, he said.

Denise Piper is a journalist for the Defender of the Northfocused on health and business. She has more than 20 years of experience in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.