A Naperville woman who allegedly used her juvenile daughters to help conceal a $4,600 shoplifting spree at a JC Penney store in Lombard has been charged with felony theft, officials said.
Ritka Jain, 36, of the 2500 block of Warm Springs Lane, was arrested about 1:25 p.m. Thursday at the Yorktown Center shopping mall and has been charged with one count each of retail theft and burglary and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, all of which are felonies.
Jain is accused of going into the store with her 5- and 9-year-old daughters, whom she used to “help her conceal merchandise in a piece of luggage and inside a baby stroller,” according to a news release issued by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Lombard Police Department.
She allegedly stole 207 items of clothing, one pair of shoes, three toys and a piece of luggage with a total value of $4,607.97, the release said. Once she went past the register without paying for the items, she was stopped.
“The very idea that Ms. Jain enlisted her two young daughters to help her steal more than $4,600 worth of merchandise is extremely disturbing,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
“Retail theft, which according to the National Retail Foundation amounted to nearly $35 billion in losses nationwide in 2022, is not a victimless crime. Losses are ultimately paid for by consumers, employees, business owners, shareholders and entire communities.”
Jain was released on her on recognizance. Her next court date is scheduled for July 22.
