‘She’s My Heroine’: Ottawa parent helps recover stolen items after mall robbery

After an Ottawa woman was robbed at Bayshore, an observant friend noticed the stolen goods for sale online and got ahold of police. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports.

A quick-thinking daycare parent helped recover stolen electronics after a brazen robbery outside Bayshore Shopping Centre on Tuesday afternoon.

Around 2 p.m., Devora Caytak went to the Apple Store at the west-end mall to purchase a new laptop and iPad for the Jewish Youth Library of Ottawa, a non-profit organization she heads.

The equipment was bought using funds raised by the community to support the charity, educational classes and preschool.

After completing her purchase, Caytak headed to her car, parked on the ground level of the garage facing Woodridge Crescent.

“As I was walking out to my car a thought came to my mind; I have over $3,000 worth of equipment here and I better make sure nobody’s following me. So, I turned around and nobody was there,” she said. “Then, all of a sudden, two teenagers dressed in all black with hoods and masks grabbed my Apple bag. They started running, and I immediately yelled, ‘Give me back my Apple products! Give it back, give it back!’ and I ran after them.”

Caytak says the suspects fled across Woodridge Crescent and entered a nearby apartment building.

She reported the theft to police and mall security. A report was filed, but Caytak was left without the much-needed electronics.

Later that evening, she shared her experience on social media.

“Thank God I wasn’t hurt,” she said. “But I want to make sure that everyone knows that this happened to me so that it will never happen to another person. So, I wrote up a story and I posted it on different groups.”

Stolen items turned up online

That’s when Ksenia Skrebets, a parent of a child in Caytak’s preschool program, reached out. Skrebets told her she had found the stolen items listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, only an hour after they had been stolen.

“I typed the model of the product and found it posted to Marketplace. It was the same colour, and the same model” says Skrebets. “He had a listed the MacBook for sale at $1,200 and the iPad for $900.”

Skrebets contacted the seller to arrange a meeting to purchase the stolen goods. Before proceeding, she went to the Ottawa police station on Elgin Street to share her findings. She says police reviewed the evidence and agreed to intervene.

“I was surprised that the seller was right near to the mall where it was stolen,” says Skrebets. “He lives in the neighbourhood right next to the mall that is less than one kilometre away.”

When she arrived for the arranged meeting, plainclothes officers were nearby. Skrebets convinced the suspect to step outside, and that’s when police moved in. A foot chase ensued, with officers eventually finding the suspect hiding in a backyard.

“They were superb, those policemen,” says Caytak. “They ran the building, they followed his tracks in the snow, and they got him.”

Caytak also expressed her gratitude to Skrebets, who spearheaded the recovery effort.

“Ksenia is my heroine,” says Caytak. “She spent hours and hours of time that she really didn’t have going to the police station, setting up the meeting with the person who did the theft and I’m so grateful for her. There’s very few people who care that much and I feel very blessed to have Ksenia as a parent in our preschool and also as a friend.”

Skrebets says she was motivated to act for the sake of her community.

“For me it was important because I’m also a newcomer to Ottawa, to Canada. I came from Israel less than half a year ago,” she says. “I moved here with my family, and they told me I was in a safe place. I want to continue to live here. I want to continue to have my child live here and grow up here and I want this place to be safe.”

Police urge caution

Ottawa police are urging people who believe their stolen items are being sold online to be cautious.

“This case worked out very well, but we want to promote safety first and getting us involved at the onset,” said Insp. Ian Hayes with the Ottawa Police Service. “We did get involved in this case, thankfully and luckily, and it was it was resolved to a certain extent, for the best interest of everyone involved.”

Hayes reminds residents that personal safety is paramount, and to never take matters into one’s own hands. If you are robbed, do not engage, and call 9-1-1 immediately. If you believe to have found stolen items online, contact authorities, and never contact the seller directly.

“We’re here to keep you safe, that’s our job and we’re happy to help out and help get your property back,” said Hayes. “Our locations here are videotaped and there’s obviously people on site that can interact if need be. Be wary of going to people’s homes and especially if there’s last minute changes, or if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and follow your gut. Also, you have to be careful anytime you’re purchasing things online too. Look at your online security parameters and keep them up to date, follow the security instructions on the website that you’re using.”

Hayes adds that if you plan to make a marketplace purchase, meet during the day and use safe locations, such as at Ottawa police stations on Huntmar Drive, Elgin Street, and 10th Line in Orléans. All location are videotaped, and staff can assist as well.

While Caytak recovered the laptop and iPad, a keyboard and some accessories were not retrieved.

Bayshore Shopping Centre has been the site of other recent criminal activity. Last week, a youth was arrested following a stabbing in the parking lot. The suspect now faces assault and weapons charges.

“It’s scary, and in the middle of the day and broad daylight I didn’t know it wasn’t safe. I thought I was safe,” says Caytak, who plans to reach out to mall management. “I would like Bayshore management to let the public know what safety policies that they are putting in place to make sure that when people go at any time of the day or evening that you’re safe.”

Bayshore Shopping Centre said in a statement Friday that safety remains its top priority.

“The security measures Bayshore Shopping Centre has always had in place include a dedicated Security Team patrolling and monitoring Bayshore Shopping Centre and its parking lots 24 hours a day, extensive CCTV coverage throughout property, Safe Walk Service available for all guests to be escorted to their vehicles by a Security Officer and First Aid and CPR available on site.”