There are stories that simply leave you speechless. This one, for example, has a most surreal element: a woman who, in order to steal from a store, fabricated a pregnancy and showed up with what looked like a large belly… but it was all a trick.

Picture the scene: a Coppel store in Saltillo, Coahuila, on an ordinary day. Suddenly, a woman walks in, seemingly several months pregnant. She’s wearing a loose-fitting dress that covers her “belly” well. So far, nothing out of the ordinary, right? But things get weird when this “pregnant” woman starts acting a little suspiciously. And then… boom. Security notices something’s off. They stop her, ask her to stay still… and then the facade collapses.

 IMPORTANT: You’ll find the video related to this story at the end of the article.

When security confronted her, the woman initially tried to defend herself and even begged not to be touched. But those pleas didn’t hide the truth: beneath the dress, she was hiding at least ten pairs of jeans and several T-shirts, rolled up and tightly covered with oversized underwear specifically designed to simulate her bump. What appeared to be an expectant mother was actually a seasoned showgirl, stripping the store of clothing with method and brazenness. Social media exploded with comments, memes, and reactions ranging from outrage to surprise at the creativity of the deception. Some criticized the lack of security in department stores; others couldn’t help but laugh at the ingenuity… criminal, of course.

The technique even has a name: “farderismo,” and those who practice it are called “farderas.” That is, when you see someone who appears to be wearing a fake belly… maybe it’s not a baby, but a makeshift hiding place. There are similar cases in different parts of the country. But this one, in Saltillo, went viral because of the well-planned deception and because, well, who would have thought that such a convincing belly was hiding stolen clothes?

The most curious thing is how people reacted. While some applauded the security personnel’s speed in discovering the crime, others simply shared memes. “Best invention of the year,” said one; “How inventive, but a bad idea,” said another. Within hours, the video was circulating on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. What was supposed to be an attempted robbery ended up as a minor regional celebrity.

As far as reported, there were no definitive details about whether the woman was arrested: it’s unknown whether the police took her into custody or she was simply removed from the store. But what was clear is that no one expected such cunning to commit such a simple yet ridiculous theft. The episode revived a recurring theme: how much control stores have over these types of methods. Some users even pointed out that only a trained security detail could have uncovered such a hoax before the merchandise was taken away.

But it also invites us to reflect on how far creativity can go… when it’s used for deception. The story is a reminder that not everything is what it seems, and that often, the most obvious thing is actually the perfect disguise. And of course, that fake belly stopped being an innocent detail and became the protagonist of a rather ingenious robbery.

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