POLICE officers have busted a bizarre shoplifter who was picked up after trying to swipe a pile of Heinz ketchup bottles.
Officers of West Midlands Police caught up with the ambitious thief on Sunday during patrols in Acocks Green, Birmingham.
Staff in a nearby Iceland store had alerted officers to the shoplifter and despite the thief’s attempts to flee, coppers caught up to them.
Demanding to see the contents of the shoplifter’s bag, officers will have been left scratching their heads when they were met with a ludicrously large stash of ketchup.
An image snapped by the attending officers shows the shoplifter’s loot bag lying next to the feet of the culprit with the stolen contents laid bare.
Inside is a pile of at least eight Heinz ketchup bottles, laid next to the cardboard box they were placed on the shop’s shelf in.
Having apparently been hastily shoved inside the bag, the stolen pile of ketchup is accompanied by a Gucci-branded purse or wallet, with the shoplifter clearly having expensive tastes.
Whilst the officers reported that the stolen ketchup was returned to the Iceland store that it was taken from, the shoplifter’s ultimate fate is unknown at this time.
An image of the bizarre bag of stolen goods was shared to social media on Sunday with the caption: “Whilst on targeted patrols in Acocks Green village, officers were alerted by Iceland staff of a shoplifter, who thought he’d got away, but we knew we’d ketchup to him eventually.”
The post has since received over 240 likes and more than 20 comments from social media users.
One user said: “With the exorbitant price of Heinz ketchup, I’m not surprised shoplifters are adding it to their list of things to rob. Glad they were apprehended.”
Another joked: “Did you squeeze his pockets for any more evidence, or did he lose his bottle?”
A third wrote: “They must be so desperate. Sad really.”
Another commented: “Proper serious crime solved there lads, good job. Please focus more on people stealing condiments, that’s the s**t we really care about.”
A fifth replied: “Saucy character.”
