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Christchurch moviegoers are being warned to beware of gangs of young thieves sneaking into cinemas, crawling under seats, and helping themselves to valuables.
Police said they had been notified of several such incidents and people needed to be aware of the threat and keep their valuables on their knees or leave them at home, The Press reported.
One victim was Raewyn Vincent who tucked her bag under her seat while watching a movie at the Hoyts Theatre in Christchurch one afternoon late last month.
Halfway through the film three young boys came in and walked down to seats in front of her.
"At the end of the movie I reached under my chair to grab my bag. I reached into my bag to find my sunglasses and put them on my head. No sunglasses. No tobacco, no wallet, no cellphone. The little buggers had ripped me off."
Constable Bec Helps said video footage showed the thieves had jumped the turnstile and gone into several films, although Ms Vincent was the only one who had reported items missing.
- NZPA
