CHEESE THIEVES PICTURE CAUSES UPROAR …Bashco says it did not post photo online

The Bashco Trading Company Limited is seeking to distance itself from the circulation of what it calls a 'defamatory' photograph of two women who were caught stealing multiple tins of cheese in one of their locations recently.

The photo in question created a stir on popular social media site, Facebook, recently, having been shared over 1,600 times. It bore the caption, 'Caught stealing from Bashco', and shows two women handcuffed together, with one holding four tins of cheese, while the other held five.

Head of public relations at Bashco, Omar Azan, told THE STAR that the women in the photo were indeed approached at the Mandeville branch about two weeks ago by the store's security team, who had observed them taking the tins of cheese without paying for them.

Very big scene

"They [security guards] were taking them [the women] to discuss it with them, but the customers in the store at the time started to make a very big scene, so the women were taken to the back," Azan explained.

He said someone took the photo during that incident, but he does not know who took the picture or how it got online. Nonetheless, he promised to investigate the matter.

"If it is an employee, we will find it and deal with the situation accordingly," Azan said.

Azan noted that it is not the store's policy to circulate pictures online, but he admitted that the Mandeville branch has a wall inside on which it posts photos of persons who are banned from the store.

Though the origin of the photo is uncertain, persons who saw it online concluded that it was posted by the company or an employee there, and are bashing the entity for doing so.

One said, "Bashco didn't have to put the girls them pictures up like that. The girls them need to sue Bashco."

"Take the picture of the women down. I in no way condone their actions, but It's humiliating enough to be caught stealing, worst to have your pic in circulation online," another added.

However, some persons found the situation humorous, and cracked jokes at the women.

"Them should a mek them say 'cheeeeese' and tek the pic," one said, while another person said, "No man, unuh watch dem two big rat yah!"

Meanwhile, Azan is encouraging persons to desist from circulating the picture.