PENANG: They are supposed to instil moral values in their students. Instead, some headmasters and teachers here have been caught red-handed for shoplifting.

Sunshine Wholesale Mart Sdn Bhd general manager Yee Kam Ming said there had been cases where schoolteachers and headmasters were caught stealing shampoo, drinks, batteries, milk powder and coffee powder from their stores.

"A teacher even had the cheek to say she shoplifted after watching others do it," he said, adding the teachers were let off with a warning.

Yee also cited the case of an undergraduate caught stealing cosmetics worth more than RM100 recently.

"She refused to admit her wrongdoing at first but later confessed she needed to apply make-up to look pretty in university," he told reporters after the launching of a crime prevention campaign at Sunshine Farlim Hypermarket yesterday.

He added that offenders would give absurd excuses for their behaviour.

"A couple who failed in their bid to steal condoms claimed they were too embarrassed to pay at the counter," said Yee.

He said it was vital to educate and create awareness among shoppers on the seriousness of committing crimes like shoplifting and theft. During the launch, over 1,000 flyers were distributed to shoppers at the hypermarket.

Air Itam police stations officer-in-charge Chief Insp Jamaluddin Ismail, who launched the event, said offenders would always come out with new tricks to avoid arrest.

"Some would bring along old receipts and plastic bags to keep all the stolen items to avoid detection by the security personnel.

"In one case, a woman even pretended to be pregnant and kept the stolen items in her 'bloated' stomach."

Is this article useful to you?