A thief has repeatedly broken into a coin-operated vacuum cleaner at a gas station in Prince George's County, Maryland, and stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars, the gas station owner says.
Tahir Muneer, the owner of the Landover Hills Exxon, said the thief has hit his location at least 15 times in three years. He said he loses about $1,000 in coins with each theft and has lost $200,000 overall.
Muneer said sometimes the thief uses a grinder to cut through the special locks or uses a drill to get to the cash box. When that doesn’t work, the gas station owner said the man uses the vacuum itself to suck out the quarters.
The thief has been captured on security cameras making off with the money. Muneer said he thinks the same man is hitting numerous stations in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
Police said they know who the thief is, but they have not been able to catch him.
