The culprit who robbed Cowichan Sound and Cellular's Canada Avenue location on March 29 might have thought he was grabbing some valuable goods he could re-sell, but North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP say that's not the case.
"The company has rendered the electronics inoperable as they are flagged as stolen," Cpl. Krista Hobday said.
"The police want the message out there that stealing items like this from electronics stores will only get them a criminal record as the items cannot be activated once the businesses enter the serial numbers as stolen."
Five phones and two tablets, all display items, were stolen in the break-and-enter. Just before 6:30 a.m., a lone male jimmied the lock and entered the store, ripping the phones and tablets from their display mounts. His actions were caught on a security camera, but the quality of the video did not allow for stills to be made.
The culprit is described as a dark-skinned male with a skinny build, wearing a brown hoodie and blue jeans.
Anyone with information about the crime should contact North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).