Staff at a cafe in inner Melbourne have accused a group of four diners of leaving without paying a bill of over $150, then brazenly returning to demand back a phone one of them had left behind — before allegedly walking out again without settling up. The incident, which took place on 24 August, has prompted the cafe to post flyers with photos of two of the alleged offenders in an effort to warn nearby businesses of the pair, who appear to target local venues in this manner.

CCTV captured the woman and man returning to the cafe around 3.30pm, when staff, who had hidden the woman's phone behind the counter, told her she could have it back once the bill was paid. A tense exchange followed in which the woman insisted she had no way to pay without her phone, before snatching it back when staff were briefly distracted. A worker who chased the pair to the door and grabbed the man's arm managed only to watch them flee once again; the cafe worker described the episode, in which the group of four ordered five meals in total, as the most brazen dine-and-dash she had witnessed in more than three years at the venue, and believes it was planned. Victoria Police have been contacted for comment.