Victoria Police have busted a convenience store in the Burnside-Gorge area that was allegedly buying and re-selling stolen property.
On Thursday, at approximately 8 a.m., officers from the VicPD Strike Force team executed a search warrant at a business located in the 400-block of Gorge Road East.
Police say an investigation led them to believe that Mega Mart was involved in purchasing and re-selling stolen property at their business.
This is known as a “fencing operation”, in which the business takes in stolen property from thieves and re-sells it for profit.
According to police, the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood has seen an increase in property crime over the past few weeks.
Strike Force, along with other VicPD resources, have been tasked with targeting this issue.
“By focusing on the business, Strike Force effectively disrupted a marketplace for stolen goods within the neighbourhood,” VicPD said in a release. “Strike Force officers searched the business and seized a number of stolen items.”
The recovered stolen property includes alcohol, perfume, electronics, coffee and other items.
Two people, a man and a woman, who are associated with the business were arrested.
Victoria residents 50-year-old Gurjit Purewal and 41-year-old Manjeet Purewal face charges of trafficking in stolen property, possession of stolen property, and laundering the proceeds of crime.
If you have information about property crime offenders in our community, you can call VicPD’s Strike Force directly at (250) 995-7260.
