CALGARY – Surveillance video taken Monday morning from a Shell gas station in northwest Calgary shows a man slip a poppy donation box into his leather jacket. It’s one of 24 such thefts currently under investigation in the city; no arrests have yet been made.
Monday’s incident took place at 8:41 a.m. at the Montgomery station, located along 16 Avenue N.W.
In the video, a man appears to be standing at the counter alongside a woman, apparently waiting to make a purchase. The woman seems to notice the man grab the box but then looks away.
WATCH: Video obtained by the Calgary Sun shows a man waiting at a northwest gas station counter slip a poppy donation box into his leather jacket.
READ MORE: Poppy donation box thefts on the rise in Calgary, says charity
A female suspect is wanted in connection to two other such thefts that happened at around 9:40 a.m. on Remembrance Day in the 4800 block of Centre Street N.E.
The woman is accused of lifting a box at the Shell gas station and then going across the street and grabbing one at the Petro Canada station.
Police describe her as a slender white female in her 30s. She was wearing a brown coat with a hood, black sunglasses and carrying a brown bag.
It’s disheartening for Poppy Fund CEO Joey Belviss. He said the boxes have been disappearing at a rate of two per day since the drive started Oct. 31.
On average, donation boxes contain about $50, but charity organizers said there’s no way of knowing how many boxes have been stolen.
The donations, usually of loose change, help support struggling veterans and their families.
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