First, a man in black enters an apartment on the 15th floor of a condo building in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood.
Then he pulls white gloves out of his pockets.
He turns to the dresser, opens the top drawer, takes some money and stuffs it in his jacket pocket.
Queen Throngkumpol caught the whole incident on tape — and recognized the man as the building’s concierge, trusted with ensuring residents’ safety, and their property’s security.
Now, this Yaletown renter, currently travelling in Thailand, feels uneasy about going back to her apartment.
“It’s been really difficult dealing with this when I’m not home, but on the other hand, I’m really thankful that I’m not home because I don’t think I would be comfortable in my own home right now,” Throngkumpol told Global News.
The incident unfolded on April 3, Thronkumpol said, when she was on her way to visit family in Thailand.
She had left $450 in her underwear drawer for a cleaner to pick up.
Then the cleaner called and said she couldn’t find the money.
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Throngkumpol thought she may have moved the money to another location and forgotten about it.
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Then, she checked her camera — a Nest-brand device she installed in her bedroom, that’s triggered whenever there’s motion in the room.
Sitting in the airport in Taipei, Throngkumpol checked camera footage from when she was in the room and confirmed that she hadn’t moved the cash.
Then she checked the next day’s footage — that’s when she saw the man she recognized as the concierge.
“I literally dropped my phone to the ground and started hysterically crying in the middle of the airport,” she said.
“He went through my underwear drawer, my makeup drawer, I have a glass cabinet full of my expensive purses and jewelry — he basically knew every single one of my hiding spots, which is really freaky.”
Vancouver police have confirmed that they’re investigating a break-in that happened in a high-rise apartment building on April 3.
They said a 48-year-old suspect from Vancouver was arrested four days later.
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Police have recommended a charge of theft under $5,000, but that hasn’t been approved yet.
As no charge has been approved, the suspect can’t be identified.
At the time of the incident, the concierge was working for a company known as CMI Concierge and Security Inc., which advertises itself as “Vancouver’s premier provider of concierge and security service to condominium residences.”
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In a statement, CMI president Wayne Tullson said the company was “very concerned to learn of this incident, which we find shocking and unacceptable.”
Tullson said the company has apologized to and reimbursed the tenant, and that it is cooperating fully with police.
For privacy reasons, Tullson said CMI can’t discuss the specific individual in the video.
Tony Gioventu of the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC (CHOA) said incidents like these are common.
“We get a lot of reports about this… or a past contractor has keys and were in the building doing servicing,” he said.
Condo owners and tenants are urged to leave a spare set of keys with a trusted third party, so long as they feel confident doing so.
“Change your locks, and don’t give your keys to anyone else,” Gioventu said.
Throngkumpol wonders if she might find another home when she comes back to Vancouver.
“I do not want to ever live there again,” she said.
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