A man has been charged after police say he stole a poppy donation box in Scarborough Monday afternoon.

The man allegedly stole the donation box, which Toronto police Det. Wesley Neal said contained hundreds of dollars, from a business near Birchmount Rd. and Eglinton Ave. E. at 3:30 p.m. Monday, when staff weren’t looking. Police located the suspect around 8 p.m., recovering some of the money in the box, but not all of it, Neal said.

“When these types of crimes happen my unit takes them very seriously and we go out of our way to make sure we get these guys,” he said. “It’s a heinous crime.”

Poppy box thefts are not uncommon around Remembrance Day, Neal said, adding it has happened “several times” in the past.

Toronto man Mudathir Salim, 29, has been charged with possession of stolen property and two counts of theft under $5,000 — the man is allegedly connected to a separate theft from that day, Neal said.

Salim was scheduled to appear in court at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Jack Hauen is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jackhauen

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