Convenience store owner, worker face theft charges
A Hartford convenience store owner and an employee were arrested on Wednesday following a three-month investigation into alleged organized retail theft, according to the Connecticut State Police.
Members of the Connecticut State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant at Smokey’s convenience store at 825A Main St. in Hartford on Wednesday. The warrant was the result of a three-month-long investigation into alleged organized retail theft activity at the store, state police said.
According to the state police, investigators learned that Smokey’s was allegedly buying stolen items brought to the store by shoplifters and reselling them. CVS brought the complaint to the SOCITF after the company suspected that a large number of items stolen from their store were being resold at Smokey’s.
During the investigation, officials allegedly witnessed stolen items being brought to Smokey’s for resale, state police said.
During the search, numerous items with store tags from CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Stop & Shop and other nearby stores were reportedly identified. State police said they recovered an estimated $3,000 in merchandise from the store.
The store’s owner, 55-year-old Kashif M. Khalifa of Tolland, and employee, 26-year-old Homesh Pulipati of New Haven, were arrested as a result of the investigation, state police said. The two men were transported to Troop H where they were processed on Wednesday.
Khalifa was charged with accessory to organized retail theft. Pulipati was charged with accessory to organized retail theft and sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. Both men were later released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and are scheduled for arraignment at Hartford Superior Court on March 22, state police said.