This is the story of a robbery that has been the subject of much talk in Belgium for a few days. A message in the sign of the times, which intertwines crime and the crisis in the middle class.
“We had nothing more to give him”
On Thursday, January 12, a robber – his face covered by a full-face helmet – broke into Cellier de Vinalgros in Brussels. No customers in the store, only the boss and the employees are there. The man is armed, he threatens an employee and the wine merchant and demands the contents of the till.
“I sat, he pointed the gun right at me and he asked us to give him whatever money we might have in the drawer.explains TF1 Mikaël Thil, the wine merchant.
Also read: The burglars are caught in the act, they offer the police to share the loot
But the recipe is very meager, only 110 euros in this drawer. The robber is surprised and asks where the rest of the money is. “We explained to him that due to the current situation and crises, we unfortunately had nothing more to give him.”
The individual will then show a surprising reaction: he is sensitive to the situation of his victims. “In fact, he backs off and tells me clearly, ‘Keep your money.’ I almost feel like reading his eyes, ‘You need it a lot more than I do’.”explains the wine merchant.
The man then left as he came, on a motorcycle.
Disappointed not to be able to give anything to this “poor robber”.
Although the story of this “big-hearted” robber has moved Belgian public opinion to some extent, the police have no intention of abandoning the prosecution. The individual is actively sought. “He wanted to rob us. After all, of course, he left us our money. But we were still stopped with a gun. And we know that these kinds of crimes can sometimes get out of hand. So yes, even if he did a ‘good deed’, he has yet to be found.”explains the dealer.
Nonetheless, this episode sheds light on all the difficulties of small retailers who have been hit hard by inflation and the drop in their customers’ purchasing power. “I’m almost disappointed not to be able to give this poor robber anything. The observation today is that the robbery is happening on a daily basis, with the additional costs that we have to cope with with the successive crises of help…”closes Mikaël Thil.
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