An Aussie teacher could spend five years behind bars after she was arrested for allegedly stealing two laptops from a supermarket in Bali.
Vanessa Louise Crimmins, 45, from Paddington in Sydney’s east, is accused of stealing two backpacks that each contained a laptop from outside Popular Deli, a supermarket in North Kuta, on Wednesday morning.
Ms Crimmins was staying at an address in North Kuta however it is unclear whether she lives in Bali or was on holidays at the time.
Badung Police spokesperson Putu Sukarma said the victims had left their bags in the sitting area at the Popular Deli supermarket at 7.30am.
When they returned at 9am, both of the bags were missing.
‘The suspect has [allegedly] taken two laptops from two bags that have been left a while by the owner in the sitting area,’ Mr Sukarma said.
Following a report to North Kuta Police Station, police investigated the scene of the alleged theft and checked CCTV footage.
Ms Crimmins can allegedly be seen walking towards the backpacks while looking around, before casually picking up one bag and later returning for the second.
‘We can found out that the perpetrator is a foreign woman,’ police said.
Police said the HP laptop and MacBook Air were allegedly stolen from Ardi Nurcahyadi, 42, from Jakarta and 24-year-old Denpasar university student Ni Nyoman Ari Purwaningsih.
After tracking Ms Crimmins to her accommodation at Tibubeneng Village in North Kuta, police allegedly discovered both laptops inside.
If charged with theft under Section 362 of the Indonesia Criminal Code, Ms Crimmins could face a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
However, Ms Crimmins could walk free under a unique quirk in the Indonesian justice system if the alleged victims choose to forgive her.