UPPER WEST SIDE — A pair of Duane Reade stores were targeted by separate groups of thieves who swiped thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, including Rogaine and teeth-whitening strips, police said.
In the first incident, on June 24, two men stole $1,123 worth of Crest White Strips from the Duane Reade on Columbus Avenue near West 75th Street at 7:30 p.m., police said. The thieves stuffed the products into bags and then fled without paying, police said.
One suspect was described as about 40 years old, while the other was described as about 30 years old, police said.
Less than a week later, a group of five men between 20 and 30 years old hit another Duane Reade on Amsterdam Avenue near West 59th Street.
In that incident, on June 30 at 7 p.m., the men took $2,100 worth of hair-regrowth products, including Rogaine and Viviscol, from the shelves and left without paying, police said.
This isn't the first time shoplifters have targeted such products at neighborhood stores.
In late March 2014, a pair of thieves made off with $600 worth of Rogaine from the Duane Reade on Columbus Avenue at West 75th Street, police said.
