By JESSE GRAHAM
THIEVES made off with thousands of dollars’ worth of cigarettes from stores around the Yarra Valley in a series of robberies on Monday morning.
Between 2.15 and 2.40am on Monday 15 June, unknown persons broke into the Log Cabin Service Station on the Warburton Highway in Launching Place.
Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) Detective Sergeant, Mark Smithwick, said the thieves smashed a door to gain entry and made off with $12,500 worth of cigarettes.
Between 2.45am and 3am on the same night, the BP Service Station on the Warburton Highway in Lilydale had its front door smashed open.
“It appears they were looking for cigarettes, but didn’t get any,” Det Sgt Smithwick said.
Shortly after the Lilydale break-in, unknown persons broke into an IGA supermarket on the Warburton Highway in Wandin North, entering the shop via the roof sometime between 3am and 4am.
Det Sgt Smithwick said the thieves stole $6000 worth of cigarettes from the Wandin North store.
Later, between 4am and 4.20am on the same morning, an IGA supermarket in Bell Street, Yarra Glen, was broken into.
Det Sgt Smithwick said the front sliding doors at the supermarket were forced open, and a “substantial amount” of cigarettes were stolen from the store.
He said that all four break-ins were believed to be linked, and that they might also be linked to robberies that occurred in Tecoma, Lilydale, Yarra Glen and Eltham North on 2 April, where more than $38,000 worth of goods and cigarettes were stolen.
In the Tecoma robbery, which occurred at the town’s BP Service Station, more than $20,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen – but about a third of the loot was lost when the thieves tried to drag a quilt filled with the packets along from their car.
Anyone with more information on the robberies, or who may have witnessed suspicious behaviour, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
