Jennifer Akudihor, Nigerian Woman On Holiday In The US Shoplifts Massively

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. —A woman has been arrested in a massive shoplifting case after police said they caught her with nearly $2,000 worth of clothes and accessories.

Jennifer Akudihor, who is visiting from Nigeria, had two toddlers and an infant along with her, police said. Police said she was hiding the 66 items in shopping bags and inside the stroller she was pushing through Macy's at Oak Park Mall.

Investigators didn’t say whether the stolen items were for Akudihor or the children.

She has been charged with felony theft and ordered to hand over her passport. Akudihor was in court Wednesday and her bail was set at $2,500.

Akudihor was apologetic during her first court appearance, and officers said she acted the same way when she was detained Tuesday afternoon.

“The officer in the report said that she was very apologetic and remorseful, and that does go a long way, and he put that in the report, so I think it does help in this situation,” said Sgt. Gary Mason of the Overland Park Police Department. “Everybody has a story. There’s always a lot of reasons why people do this, and it’s not for us to decide. It’s up to the courts and the judge to look at her case.”

Police said the number of items and their overall value makes this a significant case.

Mason said he's not sure what motivated the thefts and whether the items were taken simply because Akudihor didn't have money to pay for them.

"This certainly isn't the way to go about it. Now she's going to have some legal problems that she's going to have to deal with," he said.