A 22-year-old man, Dhir Patel, has been arrested for stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of designer clothing from a high-end store in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood in a calculated manner. Instead of fleeing after the thefts, Patel repeatedly returned to the store to sell items while continuing to steal between March 30 and last Monday.
Surveillance Footage Reveals Pattern
Investigators with the Miami Police Department said Patel would visit the store “to sell items” in exchange for money. At the same time, he stole clothes and concealed them, as seen on surveillance cameras. The thefts were discovered after the shop owner noticed expensive items missing.
Investigators initially estimated Patel stole about $41,550 worth of designer goods, but the owner later revised the figure upward. “We originally started at $41,000 since we’ve calculated it up, it’s about $55-to-60,000 now,” owner Louis Negrich told Local 10 News. He added that Patel also made purchases from the high-end shop, which is why his movements did not initially raise suspicion.
Arrest and Confession
An MPD arrest report stated that Patel, of Boynton Beach, “would walk throughout the store selecting merchandise” during his visits. Detectives said CCTV footage shows Patel concealing clothing items inside a bag he brought with him. MPD officers arrested Patel on a grand theft charge on Saturday after he returned to the store to sell more items. Authorities said he made a confession, though details were redacted from the publicly released report.
“Just don’t steal,” Negrich said. “It’s just as simple as that. It’s just, everything comes back to bite you.”
Court records show Patel posted a $5,000 bond and was released from jail.
