Woman tried to steal hermit crab by putting it in her pocket

The attempted theft of a hermit crab from a pet shop in the Balgowlah suburb of Sydney, Australia, was nipped in the bud when a member of staff saw a woman, 41, acting suspiciously.

The employee saw the woman walk around the aisles and approach the hermit crab aquarium. The Balgowlah woman then allegedly removed one hermit crab valued at $17 and put it in her pocket.



She selected two other items and proceeded to the cash register to pay for them. During this time, the woman was invited to sign a membership form, on which she wrote her name and address. The staff member asked the woman if she was going to pay for the crab in her pocket.

The woman quickly handed over the hermit crab and ran away. Using the membership form the woman had helpfully filled in, the police had no trouble tracing her. The pet store staff did not want the woman charged but she has been banned from returning to the store.