Beauty salon owner claims woman stole her TANNING BOOTH after posing as a genuine buyer – then drove off with it in her car without paying
- Kiren Sehmi, 39, owns a beauty salon in Leeds and was selling her tanning booth
- She advertised the booth, which she bought 2 years ago for £2,000, for just £185
- A woman who said on Gumtree that she wanted to buy it came to the salon
- Workers dismantled and loaded the booth before the woman left without paying
A beauty salon owner has revealed how a tanning booth was stolen by a woman posing as a potential buyer.
Kiren Sehmi, 39, who has a salon in Leeds, was contacted over Gumtree by the woman who claimed she wanted to buy the £185 tanning bed for her daughter.
The first time the pair arranged to meet, the woman was a no-show. The second time she arrived crying, claiming her dog had died.
Kiren Sehmi, 39, who has a salon in Leeds, was contacted over Gumtree by the woman who claimed she wanted to buy the tanning bed for her daughter
The security video shows salon owner Kiren (pictured, right) speaking to an unnamed woman (pictured, left), who is said to have left the premises before paying for the tanning booth
But moments later she walked out of the salon with the booth, without paying the agreed fee.
Ms Sehmi captured the woman on CCTV, strolling out of the salon. It is understood police are investigating the incident.
The business owner, who runs Kiren’s Hair and Beauty Salon, explained the woman, who she did not name, had said she wanted to buy the tanning booth for her 16-year-old daughter who is ‘absolutely massive about beauty treatments’.
‘She did not turn up the first time. Then she turned up crying saying her dog had died so I made her a coffee,’ Ms Sehmi said.
‘I paid £2,000 for the booth five years ago and only wanted £185 for it. Then she said she would take a photography ring light as well for an extra £30.’
According to Kiren, workers dismantled the tanning booth, before loading it into the woman’s car, which was parked outside. The woman and a man carried the booth outside
The unnamed woman then reportedly left the premises, without paying for the tanning booth, with Kiren saying the woman drove off in a hurry
Ms Sehmi disassembled the booth so the woman could transport it in her Vauxhall Estate. But the woman never returned to pay.
Ms Sehmi continued: ‘I never dreamed she would just drive off. She was in such a hurry she forgot the bag of screws you need to put it back together again.’
The small business owner reported the incident to West Yorkshire Police.
A spokesperson for the police told FEMAIL: ‘Police were called on Friday March 25 regarding the theft of a piece of equipment from a hair and beauty salon on Roundhay Road in Leeds.
‘A crime of theft has been recorded and enquiries are ongoing.’
Ms Sehmi has still yet to have her tanning booth returned.
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