When I read this I thought for sure it was an April Fool's joke.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A rash of oven-door thefts might be linked to a
recent case in which a woman bought what she thought was a flat-screen
television, only to discover that the package held an old oven door,
police said.
South Bend detective Sgt. Jim Walsh said police arrested a suspect
Thursday they believe sold the appliance door to the woman. According
to police reports, officers found an oven door and packaging materials
inside the trunk of the man's car.
Oven doors are an increasingly hot item in burglaries of vacant
properties. Walsh said police have investigated five recent burglaries
where oven doors were among the items stolen.
Police have had two reports of the doors being sold as flat-screen
televisions, and it's likely that others went unreported by the
embarrassed dupes, Walsh said. Officers continue to investigate at
least two other suspects who might be selling disguised doors.
Walsh said it's risky to buy products off the street, particularly
without opening a package first to make sure the items are what they
appear to be.
The bilked woman said she was approached by the suspect Feb. 20 at her
workplace. The suspect offered the victim a flat-screen television at a
bargain price of $500. When the victim couldn't come up with the money,
the suspect settled for $300.
But when she unwrapped the packaging, peeling away the bubble wrapping
and the Wal-Mart store labels, she found a cord, a controller -- and an
oven door.
"It's an elaborate job of packaging," Walsh said.