Edinburgh crime: Delivery driver pulled from his van on Dalry Road with thief driving off with new vehicle

An Edinburgh delivery driver was subjected to a brazen theft after an unknown man pulled him away from his van and drove off in the vehicle.

The delivery driver, who was making a collection from the Co-op on Dalry Road, was standing outside his van whilst the keys were in the ignition, and getting ready to set off when a man pulled him back and climbed into the van. The thief then drove towards the Haymarket area with the side door still open. The incident happened on Monday, December 18 at around 6.10am.

Kal Rashid, who owns the vehicle, said the driver was not injured and nothing of value was in the van at the time.

Mr Rashid said: “There was nothing of much value in the back of the van, just some old newspapers. We’re hoping they abandon it somewhere and then we can recover it. Maybe they targeted it because it was a brand new vehicle and wanted to make money from it or sell it for parts.”

He told the Evening News his driver made an attempt to stop the thief, running to the other side of the van, and managed to open the passenger door and side door. Mr Rashid added: “But then the guy then reversed back and nearly knocked the driver over. He then sped off into a side street and headed towards Haymarket.”

Mr Rashid, who has reported the theft the police, is also offering a £500 reward for anyone who can help locate his van. The van is a white Nissan Interstar NV400 and the registration plate is YP23 JVN.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “At around 6.10am on Monday, December 18, a report was made to police that a van had been stolen from a delivery driver on Dalry Road. Enquiries into the incident are continuing.”