Two Auckland women arrested for allegedly stealing $40k worth of supermarket goods in just two months

Two young women are accused of stealing groceries totalling $40,000 in a wave of thefts from supermarkets over the course of just two months.

The 22-year-old and 26-year-old are accused of 29 theft-related offences after targeting Auckland supermarkets.

The pair were apprehended by police after they saw a car travelling with a damaged rear glass and realised the girls were the criminals wanted for several shoplifting incidents.

They were taken into custody without incident. The two women will appear in the Auckland District Court later this month.

To hold these alleged high-volume offenders accountable and stop additional victimisation, frontline personnel and investigators worked together to make the arrests, said Senior Sergeant Guy Baldwin.

Each alleged criminal targeted a variety of products, according to National Retail Investigation Support Unit (NRISU) manager Matt Tierney.

“Investigators on the NRISU continue to collate a number of reported incidents so that Police can locate and apprehend those offenders,” Tiernly said.

“In total, the NRISU has charged 289 offenders with 1,583 charges since it began service in November 2021.

“We will continue to target recidivist retail offending in partnership with our Police colleagues to hold those responsible to account.

“We’d like to thank retailers and the community for alerting police to many of these offences.”

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.