Suburban panty raids continue at Victoria's Secret

Cops in Delaware County are again investigating a massive panty raid at a Victoria's Secret. The folks over at CBS report that a thief "snatched over 100 pairs" of women's underwear from the lingerie shop at the Springfield Mall last weekend. Estimated value: $1,300.

I am intimately familiar with this crime trend, having reported two years ago – on a slow news day and with an abundance of bad puns and extensive online research – that "bra bandits and thong thieves" (seriously?) have repeatedly targeted Victoria's Secret and are selling the apparel on the black market. From my story, "Lingerie thieves steal undies for $, not the frill of it":

Last month, $1,400 worth of bras were stolen from the Victoria's Secret in the Granite Run Mall in Media, according to state police. In July, someone pocketed 32 bras, which sell for as much as $50 each.

Stores in other states have been hit even harder:

This month, four people stole more than $2,000 in undergarments from the MarketFair Mall Victoria's Secret near Princeton, N.J. Last year, nearly $29,000 of merchandise was stolen from two Florida stores, and a $10,000 panty raid - 650 pairs - was reported by a Washington state store.

A Victoria's Secret in Tennessee has been victimized several times in recent years, including a $4,000 underwear heist in 2007. This month, four women stole jackets, T-shirts and 30 pairs of pink panties from the same location - then pepper-sprayed a store employee who tried to stop them.

Read Hayes, director of the Florida-based Loss Prevention Research Council, which conducts theft-prevention research for major retailers, said that it's unlikely that the thieves are stealing pricey lingerie for the sheer thrill of it.

Ha, sheer. Get it? Oof ...

Anywho, call Springfield cops if you know who pulled off the latest heist.

UPDATE: A Daily News reader just e-mailed to say he witnessed a similar theft before Christmas at the Victoria's Secret in Glen Mills. He says as his wife was opening the door around 8 p.m., a few people came running out "with their arms full of merchandise."

"Must be connected," the reader says.

State police could not immediately be reached to confirm the Glen Mills incident.