Stories & Such

Stolen

In every ordinary life, something stupid or unexpected happens now and then. Today was one of those days for me.

Having purchased a brand spanking new iPad mini, I took it out with me during lunch break today as I wanted to buy an accessory for the device (some form of a lightning cable, to be more precise) and also to get a SIM card for it.

Well, not only did I fail to get both those items, I actually ended up losing my tablet due to absentmindedly leaving it behind on the payment counter of a McDonald’s outlet that was situated right in the very part of Petaling Jaya that I grew up in: Section 14.

The fast food joint was particularly crowded at the time when I joined the queue. I hesitated for a few seconds and actually contemplated whether I should go elsewhere to get some food. But for some reason, I decided to stay. And to play a game on my iPad mini as I waited in line.

As I waited, a girl who I’m guessing is probably either a college or secondary school student entered the restaurant. She stood behind me and asked me if I was in fact standing at the back of the line.

I said “yeah” and gave her a look indicating my exasperation.

Then I spotted what I believed was a shorter queue and turning to her, I said, “I think there’s a shorter queue over there. Let me go check it out and if it is, I’ll let you know and you can come join it too.”

So I do just that, and I signal for her to join me. And continue my game on my iPad mini afterwards.

We did not speak to each other again, and soon, my turn came to place my order, pay up and collect my food. I placed my iPad mini on the payment counter and put my handbag on top of it. I was fully aware of what I did, but somehow registered in my mind that I will put it back into my bag after I had paid for my food.

But alas, somehow I forgot all about the iPad mini and left McDonald’s without it. I only realised it was missing when I had parked my car back at the office, and plunged into a state of alarm once I recalled that I had last had it with me while buying lunch.

Zooming back to the place I last saw it was of no avail. No one had apparently seen the device, although after making a police report and returning to the McDonald’s outlet to request to view the CCTV footage for that fateful hour when I lost it, I discovered that the person who had taken it was in fact the girl who stood just behind me in the queue.

From the video, it was obvious that she noticed the device and left it there for a good few minutes till her food arrived before she promptly picked it up and left with it.

I do not know who she is but it is obvious after so many hours that she probably intends to keep what isn’t hers in the first place.

It’s sad that there are people out there who are selfish enough to take for themselves something that doesn’t rightfully belong to them and worst still, did not even appear to care, just for a split second, how the actual owner of the property concerned would feel.

Yup girl, I was awfully nice to you and the least you could have done was to pass the device to the management at McD’s so they could give it back to me when I returned to ask about it.

Shame on you for taking it. I hope you get what you deserve for being so dishonest.

I shall refrain from voicing out any unnecessary rage or curses on the person concerned. Nevertheless I am extremely upset that I lost something that was merely a few days in my possession and which cost me a considerable amount of money. Sigh.

Well, guess I can’t say my life isn’t interesting.

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Published by

Susanna

Responses

  1. Aaron Mark Pius Avatar
    Aaron Mark Pius

    Hi , I am sorry about your Mini iPad. Anyway , i browse through your content for a reason because i might face the similar problem.

    Anyway , i went to mc donald at about 10.30pm. while , i was notified that the premise will close in half hour. I requested to sit for about few minutes , while the staff (i only see one , as the one i talked to) , busy preparing to close the premise by arranging the tables and chair.

    My purpose was to charge my phone. However , i left my Sony Mp3 on the table in which after 1 hour of leaving the premise , i realize i had left it there. I went to Md Donald at 12.30am , i look through the window and found that the device was no longer on the table i left. Mc D was closed and decided to come in the morning .

    I did at about 7am . I spoke to one of their manager in charge , but they found nothing was kept after searching around in their lavatory.

    However , i saw there are at least 3 CCTV camera which more than enough to track where the devices was. How shall i proceed to request for the CCTV footage?

    Shall i inform the Mc donald or the make a police report? I hope can get some guidance from you.

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    1. Susanna Avatar
      Susanna

      Hi Aaron,

      Really sorry to hear that you have lost your belongings and my apologies for not having seen and responded to your comment earlier.

      Anyway, based on my experience, you probably should do both. Talk to the manager of the outlet where you lost your device and tell them what has happened. But if you would like to gain access to the CCTV footage at McD’s, you would definitely need a police report so maybe you might want to do that first. In my case, I spoke to the McD’s staff first, but had to go back there later with a police report anyway.

      Another thing about the report, it does make a difference whether it is reported as a stolen or lost item. Perhaps it’s best to ask the police at the station which would best reflect your case. I was not well informed and I think the way my report was phrased made it look like all I intended to do was get access to the CCTV when I actually wanted the police to help me investigate further.

      If the report is done right and the process is followed through, the police report itself should enable you to get access to the CCTV footage. But more importantly, there should be an investigating officer put in charge of your case and you can deal personally with him/her for any follow up required.

      Also, it’s not really very straightforward getting McD’s (or any other company I believe, for that matter) to hand over the CCTV footage directly to you because of some legal or security issues they may have to adhere to. So try to get the police to go there with you to collect the CCTV footage or at least ask them to help you get it sorted out.

      I had difficulty getting access to the footage initially because McD’s refused to hand it directly to me and the police themselves did not accompany me to the outlet to collect it. In the end, one of the McD’s staff agreed to follow me to the police station so we could together hand the footage to the police. But the entire process was a bit frustrating and I had to make multiple trips to the police station and negotiate things over the phone several times with McD’s.

      Once the CCTV footage is in the hands of the police, technically they would let you view it as well. But again, do clarify it with them about that and ask what they will do next and how you can stay updated about the progress of the case.

      Lastly, while it’s good to keep your hopes up that your device may someday be found, don’t be too optimistic either. Trust the police to do their job, but at the same time, do tell yourself after some time that if nothing turns up, you will move on from this experience and learn from it.

      I hope this helps, Aaron. Please let me know about the progress of your case. I sincerely hope you recover what you’ve lost.

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