The owners of an Aberdeen ice cream parlour have told of their shock after a thief broke in and ransacked their shop while they were at a family wedding.
Madiha and Eshan Iqbal returned to Krepes ‘n’ Kones, on George Street, on Sunday to find it had been targeted overnight.
The thief was caught on CCTV nicking cash from the till and even helping himself to ice cream.
The siblings, who opened their business five years ago, have since forked out hundreds of pounds to repair the damage and replace contaminated food.
Madiha, 35, told The Press and Journal: “It was money from the till, there were phones, a £2000 camera.
“As much as he could take, that’s what he took.
“He was scooping ice cream with his hands, eating cakes, and downing milk and whipped cream.
“We replaced everything, it was all contaminated and the fridges were left open.
“Some of the ice cream tubs cost £20 a go and therefore we had to replace all of them.
“The place was a complete mess.”
Krepes ‘n’ Kones owners horrified by break-in
Madiha and Ehsan also lost half a day’s income – on what is usually their busiest day – while they prepared to reopen with new locks and cameras.
Madiha said: “I work seven days a week here, and I did feel comfortable leaving things around.
“Since it happened I have felt quite uneasy, we have a big window at the front so I’m nervous if I see people looking in.
“Krepes ‘n’ Kones has been our baby for five years.
“We’ve never had any issues here before so for that to happen was quite scary.
“He was in here for hours, he tried to break into the CCTV room but thankfully he didn’t make it through.”
George Street neighbours rally to support dessert parlour owners
Madiha was keen to heap praise on those in the local community who have offered help and concern.
Madiha said: “We have a great community on George Street, anytime a business alarm goes off someone will inform them.
“Neighbours have been have been great at checking up on us.”
“We started the shop five years ago, and this is by far the worst experience we have had here.”
Break-in nightmare for dessert shop owners
“We’ve had little things like collection jars being stolen but never anything like this.
“It’s a total slap in the face for him to have just walked in and done what he did like he owned the place.
“It was my little brother’s camera that was stolen, which I feel just awful about.
“It’s been a very emotional time, I almost tear up whenever I talk about it.”
Madiha has been struggling to comprehend the reasoning behind the incident but is hoping the thief will soon be caught by police.
She added: “I can’t understand why he would target a dessert shop, particularly as we don’t have much cash in the tills.
“I thought it was maybe a targeted attack as people knew we were at a wedding but it appears from the CCTV that it was random.
“The police have been around and got plenty of forensic evidence and he was caught on camera but who knows what will happen.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.05 am on Sunday, 15 September 2024, we received a report of a break-in and theft from a premises on George Street, Aberdeen.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
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