Thieves caught red-handed in Portage la Prairie: RCMP

Mounties caught two thieves red-handed in Portage la Prairie late Thursday afternoon.

RCMP were called about the thefts of around $1,200 worth of clothing, shoes and automotive parts from two stores on Sissons Drive just after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Officers found two suspects nearby, walking toward another store, and arrested the man and woman as they entered a business on Saskatchewan Avenue West, with various goods still in hand.

The man was wearing a sweater with security and price tags still attached, RCMP say, and while searching him, officers found a set of car keys belonging to a vehicle from a local auto dealership.

Mounties soon learned the couple had gone to the dealership earlier in the day and went for a test drive, then pilfered a set of keys from a staffer’s desk after they returned.

A 44-year-old woman from Winnipeg and a 47-year-old man from St. Eustache have been charged with several theft-related offences.