There has been great outrage in Liège after the piggy bank of Dario (2), who was seriously injured in a fire, was stolen. The piggy bank was on a pharmacist’s counter, but was stolen by a regular customer. “It’s not like he stole a $30 bottle of shampoo. This is so sad,” the pharmacist testifies to the Sudpresse newspapers.
The collection campaign started after the 2-year-old boy suffered serious burns in early December when the house where he lived with his mother burned down. Dario has since been admitted to the Neder-Over-Heembeek burn center. “People didn’t hesitate to put a coin or a small note in it,” says Corinne Wagener, the owner of the pharmacy. “I think there was between 100 and 200 euros in it. We are in a neighborhood that is sometimes described as underprivileged, but the people here have a big heart.”
But on January 8, the unthinkable happened. The piggy bank was stolen. “The man slid his hand under the plexiglass and took the piggy bank with him. I didn’t notice anything and it was another customer who alerted me that a man had walked out with the piggy bank. But by then it was already too late.”
The pharmacist has reported the “cowardly act” to the police. The thief was a regular customer and could therefore be quickly identified. In the meantime, a new piggy bank with Dario’s image can be found in Liège, but it is “this time tied with a sturdy ribbon to prevent theft”. “It’s sad, but we have no other choice,” he said. “We hope that the new fund will do just as well.”
© La Meuse/Sudinfo
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2024-01-11 14:22:23
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