Supermarket boss John-Paul Drake outs shoplifters for brazen birthday gift ruse as he claims: 'If you've got tattoos and Foxtel, you can afford food'
An outspoken supermarket boss has publicly hit out at a pair of alleged thieves who he accused of stealing expensive cuts of meat by disguising them as birthday presents.
John-Paul Drake, director of Drakes Supermarkets, uploaded a video to Instagram on Monday which showed a man and a woman allegedly stealing packages of meat at stores in Adelaide's north last month.
In one incident captured by security cameras, a woman walked into a Drakes wheeling a trolley with a large present wrapped in black wrapping paper.
Wearing a coloured hoodie, black track pants and a pair of pink sneakers, the woman was seen meeting a man who appeared to be pushing another trolley with several cuts of meat inside.
The footage then showed the woman giving the man the present before he placed it over the packs of meat.
A man and a woman (pictured) have been slammed for using birthday presents as a disguise to steal expensive cuts of meat at several Drakes Supermarkets stores in Adelaide last month
He then appeared to swap his trolley with the woman who then walked past the checkout moments later.
'With my birthday just around the corner, I honestly thought they were trying to deliver me a present,' a tongue-in-cheek Mr Drake told the Adelaide Advertiser.
'Imagine my disappointment when they were making products disappear instead.'
The couple allegedly stole several cuts of meat believed to be worth hundreds of dollars on five separate occasions at stores in Gawler, Gawler East, Salisbury North, Clovercrest and Golden Grove.
During a visit to another store, the woman was seen wheeling in another large present with several balloons tied to the top of the box.
The balloons covered her face as she walked into the store.
The pair were seen in CCTV footage swapping their trolleys after the woman placed a large present (pictured) on top of another trolley that contained several packages of meat
Moments later, the woman walked out of the store (pictured) with what appeared to be the present - under which packages of meat worth hundreds of dollars were allegedly hidden
Mr Drake, who regularly uploads videos on social media calling out people he has accused of stealing items, notified police about the incidents.
Mr Drake told the Today Show on Wednesday morning that he found it difficult to understand why the couple resorted to stealing the items.
'I've just got this theory that if you've got tattoos and Foxtel, you can afford to buy food,' he said.
A South Australia Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that officers have been made aware of the matter.
'Police are investigating a series of thefts from a supermarket chain across the northern suburbs that occurred in May,' the spokeswoman said.
Mr Drake (centre) slammed the alleged shoplifters and told the Today Show on Wednesday morning that if people can afford 'tattoos and Foxtel', they can afford to pay for food
The incidents come as police said reports of shoplifting have increased by 29 per cent since 2023.
The latest figures reveal 18,794 shop thefts were reported between April 2023 and March 2024, compared with 14,602 thefts reported in the previous year.
Almost 60 per cent of shoplifting offences in South Australia occurred in Rundle Mall in Adelaide's CBD.
Mr Drake said more people are stealing expensive food and products such as cosmetics, and that people are using different tricks in a bid to get away with the offence.
'We're seeing an increase in the theft of high-priced items such as premium cuts of meat and health and beauty lines, and people are definitely getting more brazen and creative with their methods,' he said.
Drakes Supermarkets stores have been targeted repeatedly by alleged thieves.
One man was recently accused of taking cuts of premium meat at one Drakes store 27 times without paying for the items.
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