Two people have been arrested in connection with an embezzlement scheme that netted about $100,000 in stolen goods from a Target store in Riverside, police said Thursday.
Elias Hernandez, 23, of Moreno Valley, is accused of helping Mandeep Chamdal, 34, steal the merchandise from the Target store where he worked in the 2700 block of Canyon Springs Parkway over the past five months, police said in a news release.
Asset protection at Target notified police about the scheme earlier in the month.
Hernandez was arrested June 5 at the store, while 34-year-old Mandeep Chamdal was taken into custody on June 13 at her home in the 2200 block of Jornada Drive in Perris. After serving a search warrant, detectives located and recovered the $100,000 worth of stolen Target merchandise at the home.
Police said Hernandez would allow Chamdal to “price check” items well below their actual value, and would give her gift cards to use toward her fraudulent purchases.”
“One example included where a $15 package of diapers was rung up for only $2 to $3 dollars,” police said in the news release.
Detectives believe Chamdal would sell the stolen merchandise at local swap meets, including one in Wildomar.
Hernandez was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of grand theft and embezzlement. Chamdal was booked on suspicion of grand theft.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Jeff Derouin at (951) 826-5722 or jderouin@riversideca.gov.
