The Bottle-O Kiara owner Macki Mahajan standing in front of the cabinet.
Camera IconThe Bottle-O Kiara owner Macki Mahajan standing in front of the cabinet. Credit: Supplied/Kristie Lim

Kiara bottle shop installs glass cabinet to prevent thefts

Kristie LimEastern Reporter

A KIARA liquor store has installed a locked glass cabinet for top-shelf spirits and whiskey to combat a spike in thefts.

The Bottle-O Kiara liquor store, on Morley Drive East, replaced an open shelf with a glassed cabinet with lights and locks worth about $8000 on April 29.

This follows an incident at 5.25pm on April 28, where two men stole a carton of Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey and other bottled drinks.

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Customers will now need to ask staff to take out their selected bottled drinks from the cabinet.

WATCH: Brazen theft at The Bottle-O Kiara

CCTV footage of two men stealing alcohol at The Bottle-O Kiara. Credit: The Bottle-O Kiara.

Owner Macki Mahajan said there had been an increase in thefts in the past 12 months, where there would be one theft every 10 days.

“It never used to be that bad,” he said.

“It always happened twice or three times a year.

“You have to stand up for yourself.”

Mr Mahajan has reported the April 28 incident to Kiara police.

Kiara police acting senior sergeant George Bojunovich said police would continue to help the store and other stores with hardening security.

Meanwhile, Mr Mahajan said he also owned the Bottle-O store in Maylands, which had much more thefts compared to Kiara.

He said his wife had to chase a man who tried to steal items out of the Maylands store in July last year.

WATCH: Man chased out of The Bottle-O Maylands

The co-owner of The Bottle-O Maylands chases a man who tried to steal items in July 2018. Credit: The Bottle-O Maylands.

Last month, Community News reported that Bayswater police launched an operation targeting liquor store thefts in Maylands, Bayswater and Mt Lawley.

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