Two people wearing masks were caught on surveillance footage looting around 60 smartphones from a Kamloops store on Oct. 26, 2022.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Sheraz Hussin

When a forceful and fast break in cleared a Kamloops phone repair shop of new and customer-owned phones, police were quick to respond — but not fast enough to catch the thieves.

Sheraz Hussin said 20 customer phones and 40 store-owned phones were looted from Kamloops Phone Depot on Oct. 26, leaving them out $30,000 in inventory and damage to the store.

"There are multiple lawless activities that have been going around the town and now our business is a victim of it," he said.

Video surveillance caught two people who broke a window and pried security bars to get inside the store at 1210 Summit Drive around 2:30 a.m. They then filled their bags with expensive smartphones.

"One girl was crying like crazy because she had very old photos (on her phone)," Hussin said of a customer whose phone was pilfered from the store.

Kamloops RCMP managed to get to the store within 10 minutes, but the theft was done in two minutes.

The next day, he was able to then track the phones to two locations. One was a local apartment building and the other was the shelter at the former Greyhound bus station, just blocks away from his store.

RCMP was not able to provide investigation details, but Hussin is frustrated that he provided the tracking data to police and he doesn't believe an officer attended either location.

"I told them the location. What else do you need to find the person?" he said. "Now, it's no use."

It's not clear whether police did, in fact, attend either the apartment or the shelter. Hussin, however, is concerned that if the thieves were not caught quickly, the phones would likely have been sold and dispersed within a day or two.

"Anyone who is caught stealing, there are consequences," Alfred Achoba, Canadian Mental Health Association executive director, said.

His organization operates the bus station shelter, Merit Place.

"I really encourage anyone to contact RCMP, have them come to us. We would give them full access," Achoba said. "Theft everywhere is high. People are desperate. People are at a point now where there is no consequence for their actions, there's no enforcements."

For Hussin, this is the third theft at his business in as many months. It's also the most expensive and brazen.

It's caused his customers and employees to panic. Customers are now out both expensive phones and, potentially, personal information on their devices.

"I run five businesses. I will figure it out," he said. "But the last year was so terrible for us."

When contacted, Kamloops RCMP said they were unable to offer any further information.

— This story was updated at 7:50 a.m., Nov. 1, 2022, to correctly spell Sheraz Hussin's name.

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