A shark taken from her tank and smuggled out of an aquarium in a pram by thieves has been safely returned.
The horn shark named Miss Helen was returned to the San Antonio Aquarium on Monday, after she was snatched by a trio of suspects who hid her in a bucket of water inside a baby buggy.
CCTV footage revealed the heist, which saw the 16-inch long female shark grabbed by the tail from one of the interactive touch pools and wrapped in a wet blanket. She was then placed in a bucket inside the pram.
“When we first got the call, we thought it was kind of a hoax being that it was Shark Week last week,” Leon Valley police Chief Joseph Salvaggio told KSAT.
Salvaggio added: “But it turns out someone actually went inside the aquarium there in Leon Valley and stole a horn shark.”
Miss Helen has been safely returned to the aquarium and one arrest has been made, with police stating two further suspects are wanted in connection with the incident.
Posts on the aquarium’s official Facebook page said the theft was spotted by an employee who alerted management. It added: “The suspects were confronted in the parking lot but could not be detained.”
A further post on Monday announced: “She’s back home where she belongs! Sharknapping: Unsuccessful! Welcome home Miss Helen!”