'Tis the season to be thieving in Australia, where a man donned a Santa suit to steal cash from a Melbourne post office Saturday.
The disguise has flummoxed police and made headlines in local media.
"This beard-wearing bandit is certainly on the naughty list with Victoria police at the moment," reporter Laura Spurway of 9News remarked.
CCTV footage shows the thief bursting into the post office, and stuffing cash into his Santa sack. Police say he then fled the scene in a cream-colored Jeep with stolen license plates, rather than on a sled. Nobody was hurt in the incident, according to Victoria police, but the two female postal workers on duty at the time were terrified.
"They initially thought that he was going to give them some lollies," Det. Bryan Strangman told 9News. "And they were quite shaken when they realized it was a robbery."
9News reports that Victoria police are asking the public to come forward with any information about the man, who they describe as 6 feet tall and white. Other recognizable features were hidden by the Santa suit.