Doorbell cam catches ‘porch pirates’ stealing parcel of toys grandmother had bought for grandson 

Brazen thieves were caught on camera stealing a parcel from a woman’s doorstep that contained presents she had bought for her young grandson. 

Patricia Kaplan, 65, had ordered toys to be delivered at around 11.50am on March 24 to her home in Andover, Hampshire.

She said that the postwoman left the parcel on her doorstep but, after her husband noticed the garden gate had been left open, discovered that it was no longer there.

Ms Kaplan has since watched footage from her doorbell camera which appeared to show one man stealing the package from outside her house.

The semi-retired maths teacher had ordered toys for her grandson but found they had disappeared from her doorstep.

In the clip two men can be seen walking slowly past Ms Kaplan’s house before glancing back toward the door.

One man, wearing a beanie hat and scarf pulled up around his mouth, approaches the house before bending down in front of the door.

He appears to swipe the parcel from the ground before nonchalantly walking back down the path and swinging the gate behind him.

The man then walks back toward his friend and the pair head back down the street. 

Ms Kaplan has since reported the theft to the police.

She also shared her experience online and found that other neighbours had also been suffering from parcel thefts.

Ms Kaplan now hopes her footage can be a warning to others who often have parcels sitting on their doorstep.

The 65-year-old said: ‘The message we really want to get out there is for people not to leave parcels on doorsteps because these crimes are rife.

‘Apparently these two men – they were following the Royal Mail van to monitor where they were going – waiting in the background and picking them up.

‘A neighbour has said they’d seen them laughing walking down the road with the parcels.’

The man, wearing a beanie hat and scarf pulled up around his mouth, appraoched the house before bending down in front of the door

Ms Kaplan a had bought the toys to entertain her grandson over a video call.

‘With Covid and not being able to see him, he’s only two, I started doing these video calls every day,’ she added.

‘To keep a little toddler entertained I bought lots of gadgets. There were these little plastic poppers you push down which then open into the air.

‘In total they’ve only got five or six pounds worth of toys – but like the police said – that’s not the point. 

Shortly afterwards, Ms Kaplan claimed she saw the two men she suspects of taking her parcel outside her house, and confronted them.

She continued: ‘Both of them walked past – I just open my window and shouted: “I hope you realise I’ve got your picture and am going to the police.” 

‘They looked shocked and started walking away.

‘I was so angry – not just because of the money but the cheek of taking something belonging to you.

‘If something comes of it – fantastic. I want to alert people to this happening – so you don’t have parcels left around.’