A brazen thief smashed his way into an Aberdeen restaurant and casually rummaged around for 40 minutes before walking out with the entire cash register.
Police have launched an investigation after La Lombarda on King Street was raided earlier this week.
The culprit broke the glass of the front door and squeezed through a small gap before ransacking the premises, trashing the office as he went.
CCTV footage shows him heading to the till, and when he fails to open it with a screwdriver, he just lifts the machine and heads down the street.
It is understood he fled with more than £1,000.
Last night, restaurant owners Nabil and Jennifer Naoum said they had been forced to remain shut on Monday while police searched for clues.
And they vowed to step up security at the city centre premises, which they took over about a year ago.
Mrs Naoum, 36, said: “I don’t know why they would target us. It makes you wonder whether it’s someone we know. Was it out of desperation? Was it out of greed? I’d like to know their motivation.
“We had to close for all of Monday so we lost an entire day’s trade while the police were here and the forensics were investigating.
“The police seemed happy with what they found. There was fresh blood left behind, fingerprints on the screwdriver and footprints that matched from when he was kicking the doors.
“You can’t believe it looking at the footage, the way he just strolls out. We will be stepping up our security, that’s for sure.”
Looking at the CCTV footage, Mr Naoum said: “You can see the guy break the glass with a stone. He gets through the door and goes straight for the till.
“At first he tried to open it with a screwdriver. He couldn’t get it open so he grabs the whole cash register and takes it.”
He added: “We had a table of 10 booked in who we had to let down, and other customers who had booked with us but we had to cancel.
“It was strange that he didn’t take the laptops or any of the computer equipment.”
The break-in happened at about 1am on Monday.
Constable Kirsty MacKay who is dealing with the incident said: “We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area around the time who may have seen something which may assist with our investigation.
“In particular we are looking to trace a man who was in the area at the time who may be able to assist us with our inquiries.
He is described as being white, in his late teens or early twenties, of medium build and around 5ft 8ins tall. He was wearing a Berghaus hooded jacket, light coloured tracksuit bottoms and black and white Nike trainers.”
Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
