Flower thief armed with bin bag strikes twice at city centre cafe

[dutchman]

One man and his dog have been captured in the act on CCTV



A brazen thief has been caught on CCTV over two successive nights helping himself to the floral features of a city centre cafe. My Chai on Corporation Street prides itself on its eye-catching decor insides that spreads out into the outside seating area which is boxed off by plant boxes.

But manager Kamal Hussain has left stunned and frustrated by a thief who has twice helped himself to plans at 2am on Tuesday and 2.30am on Thursday this week. On both occasions, the male is spotted making his way to My Chai accompanied by his dog before scooping up the plants and heading off with his loot.

"It's not the cost of it that bothers me, if he came in and asked I'd probably let him have them!" said Mr Hussain. "It's the principle. We do what we can to make the place look pretty for the rest of Coventry, then someone just comes along and helps himself."

My Chai officially opened in October 2021, many months after originally planned due to the global pandemic. It was during the lockdown periods that Radford-based businessman Mr Hussain identified a potential gap in the market.

"I was on the delivery apps and there was only one place that could deliver a halal breakfast which seemed a little strange given the population make-up in Coventry," he said. "To be honest, Covid proved to be a blessing as I got to make the place exactly how I want it and get the menu just right."

The floral arrangement is the handiwork of Chloe McConnell, who works across the road at Cafe Morso.

"It's a shame because Chloe does a really good job and had some nice plants in there that were coming into bloom," Mr Hussain added. "We have to water them a fair bit and look after them, only for somebody to come along and help themselves. I just want them to stop!"

[dutchman]

He might be easier to identify if they hadn't blotted his face out?