Shoplifters nabbed with thousands of dollars in clothes at Richmond outlet mall: RCMP

Mounties in Richmond recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise after catching a pair of alleged shoplifters at an outlet mall in Richmond last month.

In a news release Thursday, Richmond RCMP said an employee of a store at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet mall noticed two women acting suspiciously and reported them to police on Aug. 31.

"An employee from the store advised employees were — from a safe distance — following a woman who had allegedly stolen multiple items," said Cpl. Adriana O'Malley in the release.

Mounties stationed at the nearby Vancouver International Airport quickly responded to the scene and arrested two women.

"The two allegedly were in possession of three reusable shopping bags," said O'Malley. "A search incidental to arrest resulted in the recovery of thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing from multiple retail stores."

Richmond RCMP did not specify which stores the stolen merchandise was from.

"This is an excellent example of if you see something, say something. Without the employee making the call to police, these suspects may have gotten away scot-free," said Staff Sgt. Shane Stovern. "Being able to recover and return this amount of merchandise to the impacted retailers put a big smile on our officers' faces."

Mounties said the two women were released on police undertakings with conditions that include staying away from the mall.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 and quote file no. 2022-23643 or to make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.