Watermelon-wearing shoplifters nabbed by cops

Some take criminal advantage of the widespread wearing of face masks to conceal identities without instantly raising suspicions. Others emboldened by anonymity view causing shock and outrage with their choice of protective covering as an end in itself.

Perhaps the oddest ducks of all, however, are those who hope to profit from illegal endeavor while enjoying the attention bestowed by an outlandish disguise.

Certainly, the two folks who rocked up to a Virginia convenience store earlier this month wearing hollowed-out watermelons on their heads with cut-out eye holes turned plenty of heads.

The seedy suspects arrived in a black Toyota Tacoma pickup at the Sheetz convenience store in Louisa, Virginia, on the evening of May 6, according to police. But causing a stir wasn’t the only thing on their minds.

After getting out of the car in the eccentric masks, the two melons allegedly shoplifted items from the store before driving off.

Yet their refreshing choice of headgear backfired after the Louisa Police Department put out a call for help on Facebook to identify the suspects, using the case reference “MELON-HEADS”.

With the thieves’ bizarre disguise ensuring that the social media post garnered over a 1,000 likes and comments, and over 5,000 shares, police announced Saturday that an arrest had been made.

Further details are yet to be released, but the department thanked the local community for helping the investigation to bear fruit.