A group of youths allegedly spent more than $1000 in a stolen credit card payWave spending spree this week, buying orange items as part of setting up a new gang, police say.
Police have said they are pleased to have foiled the start-up gang before it got off the ground, which they have dubbed the ''Vit-Cs'' because of their orange hue.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said a 17-year-old member of the group and his brother were believed to have stolen an ASB card from a car in North Dunedin on Sunday.
For the next two days, he and his 13-year-old brother and a girl, aged 15, allegedly went on a spending spree around and through numerous shops in Dunedin, using the contact-less payWave function to make purchases of up to $80 without needing to input a PIN or sign a cardholder's signature.
They spent at least $1200 on items including PlayStation games, headphones, socks, bandanas, caps and backpacks.
The group bought a large number of orange items and were understood to be in the process of starting a new youth gang.
Suspicions were raised when the group bought several items in amounts of about $80 in Stirling Sports, which raised the alarm with the nearby JB Hi-Fi in the Meridian mall, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.
They were arrested shortly thereafter in the Octagon, just after noon on Tuesday.
The 17-year-old would be appearing in the Dunedin District Court while the other two were referred to Youth Aid.
