A spate of robberies at Victorian Harvey Norman stores over recent weeks has seen the retailer lose a $10,000 inflatable blue koala and mobile phones valued at $25,000.
A six-metre inflatable blue koala was stolen from the roof of Harvey Norman Horsham, in western Victoria on June 28.
Horsham Police said the koala was untied and dragged from the roof of the store on Firebrace Street in the early hours of Sunday morning. Staff later found it deflated and stashed under some trees.
Acting Inspector Brendan Broadbent, said they were still trying to work out who was responsible.
“People driving past Harvey Norman in the past couple of weeks would have seen the large inflatable koala over the top of the shop and that was taken and dragged away,” he said.
“I’m sure that someone would’ve seen something because it was approximately a six-metre-high koala, so for people to get up on the roof and take that would’ve taken some time.”
Just days later, at 4.36am on Monday, July 6, four men disguised in hoodies, balaclavas and gloves broke into Harvey Norman, Mornington.
A sledge hammer was used to smash the entry doors to the store before mobile phones valued at $25,000 were stolen before the men fled the scene in a black vehicle.
Police confirmed that the same four men in the same vehicle were involved in another theft of mobile phones at Harvey Norman Frankston, two hours earlier,
Police told Appliance Retailer they are yet to identify any of the four men and are calling for any witnesses who saw a black, small, late-model sedan in the Harvey Norman carpark on the morning of July 6 to phone detective Sen-Constable Beckhouse from the Mornington CIU on 5970 4900, or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
Koondoola man charged in Perth
In Perth, a 38-year-old West Australian Koondoola man has been charged with two burglaries at Harvey Norman Joondalup, that netted a group of offenders $35,000 worth of electronics.
WA Police spokeswoman Susan Usher said during the first burglary at the Clarke Crescent store, between 11.40pm May 21 and 12.50am May 22, several offenders cut through the store’s roller shutters and stole about $9,000 worth of electrical goods.
During the second burglary, between 12.40am and 12.55am on June 4, offenders got in the same way, this time stealing $26,000 worth of electronics and causing about $7,000 worth of store damage.
They will allege the Koondoola man was involved with both burglaries.
He is charged with aggravated burglary, stealing, possessing a prohibited drug, possessing unlicensed ammunition, possessing unlawfully obtained property and possessing a smoking implement.
He was scheduled to appear at Joondalup Magistrates Court on yesterday.