A porky, ponytailed bogan has been allegedly caught on camera making off with a package that was to go under someone’s Christmas tree.
The man struck on December 1 in the country Victorian town of Flora Hill – just south-east of Bendigo in Victoria’s north.
Dressed in a black t-shirt, wrap-around sunglasses and sporting a ponytail, the portly ‘porch pirate’ is seen knocking on his victim’s Osborne Street door before making off with the package when no-one answers.
Police have released images of a man they believe can help with their investigation into the stolen handbag
Police wish to speak with this ponytailed man, who was seen removing a package containing a handbag
A Victoria Police spokesman said the man handed himself in to police on Thursday afternoon.
‘Please be aware that a 39-year-old man from Flora Hill handed himself in to Bendigo police this afternoon in relation to the alleged theft of a package from a porch in Flora Hill earlier this month,’ he said.
‘He has been interviewed by police and the investigation is ongoing.’
Investigators were told the package was left on the front porch of the property sometime that day, with CCTV cameras capturing the theft at about 4.50pm.
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The package had contained a Country Road handbag, which was destined to be a Christmas gift.
Locals were quick to help out within minutes of the video being published on social media.
‘Can you message me on here? I can give you his name and address,’ one woman told police.
The man was also seen wearing a distinctive bracelet
Doorstep parcel theft has plagued Australians during 2022.
More than 3.6 million parcels were lost or stolen in a 12-month period, with nearly a third of residents having a parcel stolen or lost.
This has cost Australian consumers a total of AU$224.3 million in missing goods.
The results are part of the world’s first global parcel theft survey which found that close to one in ten people had at least one parcel lost or stolen from May 2021 to April 2022.
This amounts to a staggering 1.009 billion packages globally, at a total cost of AU$57.04 billion.
Worldwide, there was an all-time high of stolen or lost parcels with an estimated rise of 155 million compared to the previous 12 months, despite initiatives to tackle the surge post-covid. This is more than a two percent increase.
