Shepparton, Victoria: Baby found in box after thief steals car from shopping centre
A baby has been found inside a box in a Shepparton car park after a brazen daylight car theft left a mother terrified and police searching for the offender.
Victoria Police say the infant had been asleep in the back seat of a parked red Volkswagen on Maude Street around 2pm on Friday, while the child’s mother briefly ducked into nearby shops.
As she was inside, a thief walking through the shopping centre carpark allegedly jumped into the vehicle and reversed out of the bay — only to realise moments later that a baby was inside.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.According to police, the offender then stopped, removed the child from the car, placed the 15-month-old in a box, and left it in the car park before fleeing in the stolen vehicle.
The mother returned to the car park and quickly found her baby unharmed, before raising the alarm.
The stolen Volkswagen was located abandoned the following day. Detectives are now searching for a suspect captured on CCTV.
The offender is described as 165 centimetres tall, aged in his 20s to 30s, with a slim build.
He was wearing a black cap backwards, navy headphones, a blue Golden State basketball singlet, black shorts, light blue runners and black sweatbands on both wrists.
Police are urging anyone with information or footage from the area to come forward.
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au.
