A Montreal musician who believes she was a pickpocket at a local cafe has revealed her case publicly in a viral video detailing the alleged incident.
“We will find you. TikTok will find you,” said songwriter Nicole Arage.
So far, the video has garnered over 6.8 million views on the social networking platform.
On Monday, April 11, Araj wore a lush blue coat with snap-on pockets.
“I made sure I pressed both buttons,” she said, one of the many details from the day she reviewed several times.
She later had to give these details to the police. She believes she was robbed by a talented pickpocket who stole her expensive technology and credit card.
She had put this coat on the back of her chair in a cafe in Outremont. Security footage from the day shows a tall man entering, buying coffee and sitting behind her.
Alleged pickpocket incident in Montreal (image: Nicole Arage) Arrage uses footage to tell a video on TikTok describing how the alleged thief snatched her valuables.
“I made eye contact with him,” she said. “I immediately felt a strange mood from this man.”
After a few sips from his glass, he put his hand back through the sleeve of his jacket for a few seconds. What happened next is kept out of sight of the camera.
“He keeps his hand in my pocket,” Araj said in a video she posted on social media.
In a viral video, Nicole Arage describes in detail how the man allegedly grabbed her phone and wallet (image: Nicole Arage). After the man came out, she said: “It’s gone,” she added. The pocket was open.
“It was such a shock,” she said. “I felt that feeling of emptiness.”
She asked the cafe staff for help and they gave her security guards.
“I feel so grateful,” Araj told the cafe’s owner. He stopped working to sit with me.
“I feel disturbed,” said Darren Johnston, owner of Cafe DAX. “This is my job. We want to create a safe environment.”
Johnston said he had never seen the man Araj thought stole her from the cafe before. He told CTV that he takes the security of his customers and the shelves filled with expensive wine very seriously.
He told officers to be careful of the alleged thief, but if he stole her phone, he did not expect him to return.
After leaving the restaurant, she reported it to the police and told the bank that her card had been stolen.
She said the thief had made some purchases before moving to cancel the card – several hundred dollars at a grocery store and a gas station.
Money is one thing, but Aridge is also saddened by the many entries on his phone.
“I have all this audio of future songs and music I’m writing about the future,” she said. “It means so much to me.”
“I hope you get everything back,” one commentator wrote. “I’m so sorry this happened to you,” wrote another.
Nicole Arage said she wanted to reveal the tactics used by the alleged pickpocket. If she can’t get her phone back, she hopes at least the video will inspire others to take precautions against theft.
“Now all future pickpockets can no longer use this tactic because it has been revealed,” she said.
She said she hoped the person who took her phone would be caught, but told CTV she was still unsure if she wanted to press charges.
“He doesn’t need to harm other people,” she said. “After all, we are all the same and we all deserve to be respected.”
“I would be happy for him to seek help and understand his actions and how they can really hurt someone.
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