Police in Windham, New Hampshire are searching for masked burglars who broke into the Windham Variety Store on Friday morning and stole a case of scratch tickets, the latest in a string of similar thefts across the area. Police said that in the past month, six stores have reported similar robberies and other incidents have been reported on the Massachusetts North Shore. WMUR reported thatRichdale Convenience Store in Seabrook was robbed on March 19. Employee Stacie Leblanc said she opened the store that day and discovered the thefts. She said she found an open space on the counter and glass all over the floor from the window.Seabrook police say three people wearing masks smashed the front window and stole the case of scratch tickets on the counter.Leblanc said the surveillance video showed that it happened in seconds. She said the case holds 40 types of scratch tickets, with about 150 tickets of each kind.In Windham there were two similar robberies this week. Windham police said they are looking for a person who they said broke into the Windham Variety Store at about 4 a.m. Friday."It looks like they're mainly targeting the lottery tickets," said Windham Police Chief Michael Caron. "However, in one of ours, they tried to take some tobacco products, too."Police had warned stores in the area about the robberies. The owner of Windham Variety called 911 Friday morning while watching the break-in in real time at home on security video."We responded based on that," Caron said. "By the time we got there, the two subjects had left the area."The New Hampshire Lottery Commission said it is aware of the thefts and working with police in the communities where similar robberies have taken place.In the past, the commission has said that if stolen tickets are flagged, they cannot be cashed if they are a winner.In Massachusetts, tickets are voided immediately after a store reports them stolen. "The Lottery is able to flag stolen tickets to prevent them from being cashed and assists law enforcement and store owners in resolving these cases," Massachusetts State Lottery executive director Mark William Bracken said in a statement earlier this month. Information from WMUR was used in this report.
WINDHAM, N.H. —
Police in Windham, New Hampshire are searching for masked burglars who broke into the Windham Variety Store on Friday morning and stole a case of scratch tickets, the latest in a string of similar thefts across the area.
Police said that in the past month, six stores have reported similar robberies and other incidents have been reported on the Massachusetts North Shore.
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WMUR reported thatRichdale Convenience Store in Seabrook was robbed on March 19. Employee Stacie Leblanc said she opened the store that day and discovered the thefts. She said she found an open space on the counter and glass all over the floor from the window.
Seabrook police say three people wearing masks smashed the front window and stole the case of scratch tickets on the counter.
Scratch tickets stolen from convenience stores during smash-and-grabs on North Shore of Mass.
Leblanc said the surveillance video showed that it happened in seconds. She said the case holds 40 types of scratch tickets, with about 150 tickets of each kind.
In Windham there were two similar robberies this week. Windham police said they are looking for a person who they said broke into the Windham Variety Store at about 4 a.m. Friday.
"It looks like they're mainly targeting the lottery tickets," said Windham Police Chief Michael Caron. "However, in one of ours, they tried to take some tobacco products, too."
Scratch tickets stolen from convenience store in another North Shore smash-and-grab
Police had warned stores in the area about the robberies. The owner of Windham Variety called 911 Friday morning while watching the break-in in real time at home on security video.
"We responded based on that," Caron said. "By the time we got there, the two subjects had left the area."
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission said it is aware of the thefts and working with police in the communities where similar robberies have taken place.
In the past, the commission has said that if stolen tickets are flagged, they cannot be cashed if they are a winner.
In Massachusetts, tickets are voided immediately after a store reports them stolen.
"The Lottery is able to flag stolen tickets to prevent them from being cashed and assists law enforcement and store owners in resolving these cases," Massachusetts State Lottery executive director Mark William Bracken said in a statement earlier this month.
Information from WMUR was used in this report.
