On June 20, 2022, two thieves walked into a medi spa on Yorkville Avenue and stole a client's Chanel bag while she was in the restroom. Two days later the bag was returned, wrapped in a paper bag and left anonymously beside a garbage bin at a Tim Hortons in Etobicoke. The contents are still missing.
How did the theft happen?
The client was in the restroom and the cosmetic nurses were working in the back, so the Chanel bag sat unattended in the open. Two thieves saw their opening and ran in to take it. The theft took seconds, and it depended on one thing: the bag was unattended.
How was the bag recovered?
On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Chanel bag turned up anonymously beside a garbage bin at a Tim Hortons in Etobicoke, wrapped in a paper bag. The bag was back, but the contents were still gone. Evelyin Yin told the Toronto Sun that the thief contacted her by direct message: "They didn't want to meet up in person. Because they thought it would be too scary, especially if they thought the police would be waiting for them." Yin said the thieves appeared to work in a lash or tattoo business, and they seemed to be visiting Toronto from Winnipeg.
Why did the spa owner call this a new kind of thief?
Peng "Evelyn" of Rejuuv Medi Spa posted a statement on Instagram describing the theft and the shock of who committed it. What stood out to her was how ordinary the thieves looked. "This is what modern thieves look like," she wrote, contrasting them with the traditional image of a thief in a hat covering his identity with a backpack for stashing items. Her other point was blunter: the ability to take something that is not yours and ruin someone else's day is beyond disgusting.
How do you keep your bag safe when you are out?
The golden rule is simple: never leave your bag unattended.
- Pack a bag hook so your bag never touches the floor and stays right where you can see it;
- Do not post where you are until after you leave, because live posts can make you an easy target for thieves;
- Keep a dust bag in your purse to cover your bag when it cannot be hung up.
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The Chanel edit
