A daring break-in at T-2 Market last weekend saw a comedic thief make off with about $1,200 in cash.
Recycling manager Doohee Lee showed the Oliver Chronicle a video, which depicts a young man climbing down a rope dangling from the skylight at approximately 6:15 am on Saturday, Nov. 29.
“It looks like a movie . . . Mission Impossible,” said Lee, who shook his head at the thief’s antics.
The video shows a thin rope dropped down and the thief descending on to the front counter where the cash register sits. He looks directly into the camera and then quickly pulls a wool mask over his face.
When the business alarm sounds, the thief puts both hands in front of him and proceeds to gesture with his finger that he has a gun, doing a 180-degree turn. Lee said he probably panicked and pretended he had a gun to scare anyone away.
The thief takes his time removing the cash from the register, and at one point checks the tip jar to see how much is in there.
When it’s time to go, he makes several attempts to climb back up the rope, but that proves too difficult. He eventually leaves through an exit door.
Lee said it took the RCMP two hours to arrive on scene.
He believes there may have been another person involved in the crime; a driver who picked up the thief outside the market. He noted that a Visual Telecom camera down the street has video footage of a vehicle in the area, possibly an older model Ford Fiesta.
T-2 Market owner Ranjit Dhillon said he was shocked and sad that someone would break in to his business when he is doing a good service (recycling) for the community.
The Oliver RCMP could not be reached for comment by press time Tuesday.
