Man suspected of listening to takeaway orders then delivering empty boxes and stealing money

A bogus delivery driver is thought to be operating in and around Grimsby and Cleethorpes in north east Lincolnshire. The conman lurks in fast food shops, listens to telephone orders and then races to the address with an empty takeaway box. The first victim of the bogus delivery driver, who was tricked into paying for an empty box, was Hollie Belton, 27, of Grimsby, gave £12 to the man in exchange for two large chicken kebabs she had ordered from Verona's Pizzeria in Cleethorpes. But when he handed over the delivery he ran off, before fleeing in a yellow T-reg Ford Ka, leaving her holding an empty box. She contacted the takeaway in Hardy's Road, Cleethorpes, which provided her order free of charge after being told of the incident.

Takeaway staff recalled seeing a man acting suspiciously inside the shop, and it is thought he may have heard Hollie's order and address being confirmed over the phone. Owner Mostafa Majeed said that staff had noticed a man acting suspiciously in the shop earlier that night. "He was asked if he was waiting to be served and he said he needed time to look at the menu. He walked out, came back in and started inquiring about different things – do we deliver to Grimsby and what is the minimum order to Grimsby." The man left the premises for a second time and was seen getting into a yellow Ford Ka which was occupied by another man. Mr Majeed added: "All of a sudden we get a lady on the phone saying our driver has delivered a bag of rubbish.
"I replied to her that her order was still in the shop and was about to go out to her." Mr Majeed, who has owned the business since 1996, added: "We have never had such an experience before. I am sorry for the woman and if there is anything I can do to help catch this guy I will do it." The same thing is then thought to have happened to a Cleethorpes woman, who ordered from the Mariners takeaway in Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes. Mariners takeaway owner Carlos Keser said: "We had a guy on Friday last week come into the shop acting really strangely. He kept coming in and out of the shop. He asked for a menu and then picked one up. He then left the shop and came in again.

"We took an order from one of our regular customers and my driver who answered the phone took down their address. This strange man then left the shop and got into a yellow car parked outside with two or three other guys. About 20 minutes later I got a phone call from the customer wanting to know why I had sent her an empty box of food. I was shocked, I could not understand what had happened. Her food was on the side about to be sent out to her. After I realized what had happened I told her that I will send her food out to her and will not charge her. I think whoever is doing this is causing some real problems for takeaway businesses. It is going to make people think twice about ordering. It is very worrying." The man was described as about 29, with a pale, gaunt face. Police have confirmed they are investigating the incidents.