Two thieves made away with a TV from the Walmart at Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, but they didn’t end up getting away with it.

Police caught up to the duo just three hours after they walked out of the store with the TV and drove away with it unsecured on top of their car.

“A recent theft of a 75-inch television seemed to be lacking a degree of planning when the wannabe thieves decided to simply place it on the roof of their vehicle, then drive off with it,” said the Nanaimo RCMP.

The theft, captured on video, occurred at about 6:45 pm on June 8, 2023.

Video shows the thieves driving away while trying to hold onto the box through the open windows.

“The attending officer noted that the box had simply been dropped on the roof of the vehicle, and was held in place by the driver reaching up with his left hand, and the passenger's outstretched right hand,” said police. 

Three hours later, the suspects, wearing the same clothing and driving the same vehicle, were located at a gas station in central Nanaimo. 

A 48-year-old man and 43-year-old woman, both from Nanaimo, were arrested for theft under $5,000 and taken into police custody. A search of the trunk of the vehicle later found parts from the stolen television, however the television itself was not recovered.

The suspects were later released on an undertaking, with their first court appearance set for September 6, 2023. The search for the stolen television continues.