The thief on Avenue Myrand in Quebec is still on the hunt. Following a series of burglaries last May, July saw a renewed spate of thefts at at least three establishments, including the KRWN Barbershop, which caught the criminal in action.
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Maxime Bellemare is a co-owner of eight hairdressers’ shops in the province, and only on rue Myrand does the crime repeat itself. He has been the victim of five thefts in the last few weeks.
“We hide the money. The hairdressers are obliged to stay at home with the insoles, that doesn’t make sense,” he says.
With kind approval
The alleged thief was recently caught in action by a barbershop camera.
The alleged thief was recently caught in action by a barbershop camera.
On July 17, the masked burglar with sunglasses was caught red-handed. The thief stayed for an hour and a half to search the store from top to bottom.
“He managed to find the hidden cash envelope. He left with a suitcase full of old hair clippers,” said the barber, who estimates the damage to date at a few thousand dollars in cash.
“All hairdressers want justice, but I tell them no, we let the police do their job,” says Maxime Bellemare, who admits that he himself thought of hiding to wait for the criminal.
Also, a situation could have turned sour when a hairdresser returned on foot after a drunken evening on Myrand to lie down in the hair salon.
“We’re a big family with good values,” explains Barbier Max, adding that employees or associates are allowed to come back to bed in a rest area that’s arranged so he doesn’t take the wheel.
The problem is that the thief showed up when the hairdresser in question was in bed, but he never woke up.
“If they’d passed each other, the guy had a sharp screwdriver in his hand, he could have stabbed him right away.”
“I understand it [le voleur] four times and the police know I have the footage and they never came to look for the pictures,” he laments.
He also believes that for all traders who have made reports, the police should patrol the area.
“There’s no clock, there’s nothing, it’s like… let’s see.”
Last May, Le Journal reported that the Touareg Lounge, L’Gros Luxe restaurant and Jumelles Pizza on Rue Myrand were victims of burglaries and multiple thefts. Two suspects, a man and a woman, were arrested at the time.
Yesterday, other businesses targeted by thieves expressed their concerns. Along with Le Journal, the SPVQ had nothing to add to this file.