Police in California have arrested two men accused of stealing a wedding gift box containing $60,000 (Sh7.7 million) in cash and cheques from a newlywed couple.
The theft occurred during a reception at the Renaissance Banquet Hall in Glendale on 31 August. Surveillance footage later helped identify the suspects.
In a video shared by ABC News, one of the men is seen entering the wedding hall shortly after midnight, grabbing the gift box, and fleeing through the exit.
Additional footage revealed that he escaped in a waiting Mercedes SUV.
According to authorities, a second suspect assisted him in carrying out the crime.
The suspects were later identified as Armean Shirehjini and his alleged getaway driver, Andranik Avetisyan. They were apprehended on 4 September.
“Detectives executed search warrants at both suspects’ residences and recovered a large amount of cash and dozens of checks made out to the victims from the wedding,” authorities said, according to People.
Firearms and narcotics were also reportedly seized from their homes.
The couple, Nadeen and George Farahat, expressed heartbreak over the ordeal.
Nadeen said she had noticed the intruder during her wedding and felt unsettled by his presence.
“He’s watching the dance floor, watching our family. It’s so scary to look back and see that there was a stranger at such a private and intimate event. It’s such a violation,” she said.
She recalled her devastation upon learning the gifts had been stolen.
“As soon as we found out what happened, you know, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped. I ended up sitting on the dance floor sobbing with my friends and cousins around me,” Nadeen said.
Her husband George described how the theft overshadowed what had been a joyous celebration.
He explained, “As is tradition in our culture, most people give cash or checks as gifts for the newlyweds, so there was a box containing all the envelopes, the cards, the money from family and friends who were invited.”