DARING BURGLARY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1042, 5 August 1930, Page 1

DARING BURGLARY

THIEF MAKES TOUR OF PRIVATE HOTEL GUESTS’ MONEY STOLEN A daring but well-planned burglary was perpetrated at a private hotel in Symonds Street in the early hours of this morning, when a man succeeded in removing a total of approximately £lO from two bedrooms. From one room occupied by two men the sum of £5 and a few shillings was removed from clothing, and from another room a wallet containing £5 in notes. i Just about daybreak two women guests were awakened by a noise at the door of their room. Later they heard footsteps walking along the passage and out of the house, but concluded it was a guest making an early departure. The footsteps were also heard by members of tlm staff, then dressing, but as certain of the guests sometimes had oeca eion to leave early iu the morning they paid no attention to it. It is apparent that the thief in i.uestion had selected daybreak as an appropriate hour for his operations. At most private hotels where night porters are not retained it is a com . aratively easy matter to gain entrance by the front door at any time during the night. At daybreak the thief would be sure of being undisturbed by guests arriving home late, and of being able to enter the room 3 while they were sound asleep, while sufficient time would also be available before the staff commenced work. Apparently the thief had calmly strolled through the house, helped himself to what was lying handy and walked out the front door, which could be done openly at that hour without arousing any great suspicion. THIEF TAKES £SO BOARDING-HOUSE ROBBED ESCAPE AFTER BEING SEEN Press Association WELLINGTON, Today. For the second time within a few day a thief boldly walked into a board-ing-house iu Grant Road on Sunday evening. He was disturbed by the proprietress, but by the time the other occupants of the house came to her aid he had escaped, leaving a bundle of keys with which he had opened the trunks of one of the boarders. He is stated to have taken £SO in notes. On the previous occasion the loss was £ll and a pair of trousers.