Wallet thief in the Gronau supermarket – police are looking for witnesses!

Wallet thief in the Gronau supermarket – police are looking for witnesses!

In Gronau/Leine on Friday, June 15, 2025, a woman was the victim of a theft in the supermarket. Unknown people stole her wallet from the shopping cart while she was shopping between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. The police are urgently appealing for information from witnesses who have made suspicious observations. Reports of the incident can be received via the Elze Police Department, the telephone number is 05068 93380 News.de reported.

On the same day, around 8 p.m., another theft was reported in the supermarket on Ladestrasse. A male perpetrator stole cash. According to the police, the perpetrator was around 170 cm tall, estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old and was wearing a dark blue T-shirt, knee-length trousers and a cap. The man fled after his theft and is still wanted by the police. In this case too, information is welcome to the Elze Police Department, as is the case Presseportal.de emphasized.

Crime in context

The increasing number of thefts is a phenomenon that does not only affect Gronau. According to current statistics, around 5.63 million crimes were recorded in Germany in 2022, including around 1.78 million thefts. Shoplifting is particularly popular: over 344,000 cases were registered in the same year. Compared to the previous year, this is a remarkable increase that is also noticeable in North Rhine-Westphalia, where over 23,500 residential burglaries were recorded. The clearance rate for residential burglaries was only 16.1% in 2022, according to information from Statista show.

For the police in Hildesheim, which is responsible for Gronau, solving such crimes remains a challenge. A high number of calls for witnesses suggests that citizens can and should actively contribute to solving crimes. In this way, the feeling of security in the region could slowly improve again.