News writer
Lottery tickets are meant to spark dreams of instant fortune, but in parts of Ontario, they’ve become the target of a very different kind of gamble. From Cobourg to Aylmer, suspects are turning distraction into their ticket of choice, leaving clerks stunned and police connecting the dots on a curious new crime trend.
Distracting the gas station clerk
Two thefts of lottery tickets from two different gas stations in the town of Cobourg are currently being investigated, according to the Cobourg Police Service.
Around 5:20 p.m. on September 4, 2025, a man walked into a gas station on Division Street. While the gas station clerk had their back turned, the man allegedly stole approximately 124 lottery tickets.
Officers responded to a report of a theft and were able to obtain surveillance footage, which showed the man stealing the tickets.
Police said a similar theft took place at a second gas station on Division Street. During this incident, the suspect took approximately three lottery tickets while the clerk was distracted.
According to authorities, the suspect was caught on surveillance footage arriving and departing in a navy blue Dodge Caravan.
With similar stories and on the same street, is this a pattern starting to happen in Canada? Officials said they are investigating whether these incidents are connected in any way to similar incidents that have taken place in other jurisdictions.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, as they continue to look for the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-372-6821 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
The trend continues in Aylmer
About a two-and-a-half-hour drive over, the distracted lottery ticket thefts popped up in Aylmer.
Late in the morning on September 8, a clerk was working the counter at On the Run, a gas station located on Talbot Street in Aylmer. A customer approached the counter and let him know that the self-serve lottery kiosk was out of forms.
Police obtained surveillance footage, which showed the clerk heading to a room in the corner of the store to get new forms. While the clerk stepped away, the man reached into the lottery display at the counter and took a handful of tickets. The clerk was still trying to grab the new forms, so the man had another opportunity to reach over the counter and grab a second batch of tickets.
The suspect left the store and drove off in a white Lexus SUV, and the clerk thought nothing of it. Later that day, the store came up short when counting lottery sales and tickets on hand.
The clerk, Ruchik Patel, told CTV News, “My colleague tells me, we did not sell the scratch ticket, so how can it be possible for the shortage?”
The employees then checked the store’s surveillance cameras and saw the man reaching into the lottery display and taking tickets.
While the employees at On the Run were upset, they weren’t the only victims. A very similar theft took place at a Circle K just a short distance away on Talbot Street in Aylmer.
Suspects identified
While the robberies in Cobourg seemed to be a one-man job, these robberies in Aylmer were a two-man job, and police say they have identified the suspects.
Police said they have identified the two suspects thanks to surveillance footage, and the men have been charged via warrant.
Aylmer Police Chief Kyle Johnstone said, “This one’s a new one. Obviously, things change, and there’s different techniques and different things that come from time to time. But in my time, this is the first distraction lotto theft that I’ve come to know.”
According to police, Robert Dobre, from the GTA, has been charged with four counts of failing to comply with a probation order and two counts of theft under $5,000.
In addition, the driver of the SUV, Ahmad Alahmad, has been charged with party to the offense and two counts of theft under $5,000. Both suspects are at large, with warrants out for their arrests.
Becoming more and more common
While these distraction thefts are new in Elgin, officials say they are becoming more and more common all over the place. Dobre, one of the second suspects in the Aylmer case, is actually wanted in eight different jurisdictions across Ontario and Quebec.
Chief Johnstone said, “The theme behind it is similar to a lot of other kinds of thefts that we see. Kind of quick money, quick turnaround, even if it is lower denominations. Generally, property crime like this usually fuels some kind of a drug addiction and a habit. So, a quick turnaround for cash is the reward.”
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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