Authorities: Naperville woman used her children to steal items from JCPenney store

A Naperville woman has been accused of using her children to help her steal 212 items from the JCPenney store at Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard.

Ritka Jain, 36, of the 2500 block of Warm Springs Lane, was charged Thursday with two counts of contributing to the criminal delinquency of a minor, one count of burglary and one count of retail theft, all felonies.

She had her 9-year-old daughter select merchandise, put it in a piece of luggage and wheel it past the last possible point of purchase, authorities said. They also allege that she had her 5-year-old daughter put merchandise beneath her in a stroller.

In addition to the piece of luggage, Jain is accused of stealing 207 items of children’s clothing, one pair of shoes and three toys. The items had a total value of $4,607.

She was arrested at the store and released pretrial. Her first court date is July 22.