The potential thief set off with a cell phone, but his plan quickly failed (Image: Kennedy News).
A thief had to return a phone he was about to steal after finding out that the door he was trying to escape through was locked.
Store owner Manmeet Singh, who owns Urmston Mobile Tech in Urmston, Greater Manchester, claims the man walked into his store on Wednesday and asked about the new iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Mr Singh, 35, said he didn’t have it in stock but offered to show the man a Samsung A21S instead.
The customer asked to hold the device, but when he reached for the phone, he turned and tried to rush out the door.
Footage from the store’s video surveillance revealed that the suspected hooded thief grabbed the door handle and found that he was locked in an electronic lock, forcing him to embarrassingly return the phone to his intended victim.
To add to his embarrassment, the man had to stand in front of the store and wait for his bus while Manmeet watched.
Manmeet of Partington, Greater Manchester said, “He was the worst thief ever.
“As soon as he started running, I said,” You have nowhere to go. “I told him that even if he had left, I would have caught him walking. That was how slow he was.
“I found it funny more than anything. I only stood there because there was no point doing anything. After he gave me the phone, I said, “Don’t come back.”
To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videos
Manmeet had grown suspicious when the unknown man started rushing him and knocking on the counter to make him hurry.
He said, “When I gave it to him (the phone), he was just starting to run, but I have an automatic lock on the door to prevent him from running away. It’s an automatic lock that I’m in control of.
“When he pushed the door, I thought he might break it. I tried to get out of the counter then he just came back and returned the phone.
The man didn’t get far with the phone and had to return it embarrassed (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Shop owner Manmeet Singh, who owns Urmston Mobile Tech in Urmston, Manchester, saw the fun side (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
To add to his embarrassment, the man had to wait for his bus right outside the store (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
‘He said nothing. He was swiped out the door and stood at the bus stop. He had to wait for his bus in front of the shop. ‘
Manmeet says he has not yet reported what happened to the police as they did not participate in a similar incident when his own phone was stolen in April 2020.
Greater Manchester Police said their officers were unable to attend on the occasion after “assessing the threat, harm and risk, and demand for the force”.
Contact our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this Check our news page.
