Woman Accused Of Using Daughters To Help Her Steal From Yorktown Mall

LOMBARD, IL — A Naperville woman is accused of using her five- and nine-year-old daughters to help her steal more than $4,500 in items from the Yorktown Mall.

Ritka Jain, 36, of the 2500 block of Warm Springs Lane, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, retail theft and burglary in connection with Thursday's incident.

Police were called to the Yorktown Mall in Lombard around 1:30 p.m. for a report of a retail theft at JC Penney. Jain is accused of having her daughters hide merchandise in a stroller and a luggage bag before she led them out of the store without paying.

The total value of the merchandise was $4,609.97.

"The very idea that Ms. Jain enlisted her two young daughters to help her steal more than $4,600 worth of merchandise is extremely disturbing," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

He added, "Retail theft, which, according to the National Retail Foundation amounted to nearly $35 billion in losses nationwide in 2022, is not a victimless crime. Losses are ultimately paid for by consumers, employees, business owners, shareholders and entire communities."

Jain is set to appear in court on July 22.