Achi news desk-
Tony Dembogaj, owner of Bella Vita Pizzeria in Halifax, was off work when he received a call that his delivery driver’s vehicle had been stolen while picking up an order at his store.
“That was his usual routine, he drove up to the shop, jumped out of the car to grab his order to go out to deliver and as he grabs another order, they turn around and the car driving away,” said Dembogaj.
He was away from the shop at the time when it happened. He said it was common to leave the car running when picking up an order.
“The order is always ready for collection so it’s very quick. No point turning the car off and turning it back on,” he said.
The pizza shop’s debit machine and the driver’s belongings, including his phone and wallet, were all left in the vehicle.
“Throughout the investigation, we were able to find that the suspects used the delivery driver’s cards that were left in the vehicle and we were able to track them through that,” said Halifax Regional Police public information officer John McLeod .
The suspects used the delivery driver’s bank cards at a convenience store on Chain Lake Drive, where officers found a man and a woman with the stolen vehicle outside the store. Both were arrested on a number of charges, including theft, fraud under $5000 and possession of stolen property.
Pictured is Bella Vita Pizzeria in Halifax. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)Similar crimes have been reported at higher rates in other provinces, such as Ontario, where delivery drivers’ cars are stolen.
McLeod said while they do receive those types of calls, it’s not often.
“Well, certainly at the moment we have seen incidents of this nature happen over the years but there is no trend that we have identified in the city,” he said.
Officers are advising people to always lock their car doors, no matter how long they are away from it.
“If they stop their vehicle and they leave it, for safety reasons and the possibility that it could be stolen, they would turn the vehicle away, make it safe, and takes their keys and any belongings,” said McLeod .
The car and most of the driver’s belongings have been returned; however, the store’s debit machine is still missing.
Dembogaj said his replacement cost $1,000, which is a significant loss.
“It’s really hard, especially these days [for] businesses as everyone knows [and] the economy is not the greatest especially for small businesses,” he said.
Dembogaj has offered a $100 reward to anyone who finds the debit machine.
