Police are searching for two men who broke into supermarkets in Sydney and stole over 500 rolls of toilet paper.
The men reportedly targeted four different stores between 7 pm and 8:30 pm. They broke into supermarkets’ storage areas and stole rolls of toilet papers from stores in Auburn and Granville.
The two also broke into stores in Lidcombe and Bass Hill.
In a statement, police said: “It was also reported that one of the men threatened an employee with a knife at the Auburn store.”
Officers have released a photo of the alleged crime in the hope people will recognize the burglars.
One man is described as being 175 to 180cm tall, aged between 30 and 35, and has a slim build. He was wearing black Adidas pants and a hooded jumper.
The other man is described as being Middle Eastern or Mediterranean appearance, about 185 to 190cm tall with a solid build, and aged in his 30s.
David Elliot, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services, urged anyone with information to contact police.
“I support any measures taken by police to protect our communities from this sort of disgraceful criminal activity,” he said. “The people of NSW will not tolerate criminal behaviour at any time let alone during this crisis.
“People need to grow up and look out for our most vulnerable.”
This comes after weeks of toilet paper shortages as panic buyers emptied supermarket shelves amid coronavirus pandemic.
Rolls of toilet paper are now being sold for high prices on websites such as Gumtree, Facebook’s Marketplace, and eBay.
One internet user commented: “Absolutely disgusting!!! I hope they’re caught and they go to jail…”
Another wrote: “Who would have thought toilet paper would be more valuable than diamonds in March!”
A third added: “How stupid these idiots are, once they are caught and let’s hope they are, where they will end up there will be no soft toilet paper for them..”
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