GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - In an unfolding saga of one of the strangest crimes this produce reporter has encountered, the crew at Pollok House Country Park and Gardens in Glasgow are trying to make sense of a massive veggie raid discovered when the staff showed up to work on Monday, following a massive trail of debris and footsteps off the grounds until it went cold. The crew reported the incident to authorities and initially speculated that the scale of the heist—including at least 1,000 carrots, 200 leeks, and 80 cabbages—indicated that it was likely a premeditated group effort, according to the Evening Times.

However, in the latest development, it seems that the plunder could have been the result of a merchandising blunder, as the Glasgow City Council said a sign offering a small amount of surplus vegetables in a basket at the plot may have caused confusion with visitors for “Doors Open Day” at the park.

A member of the public has come forward, describing how they visited the Pollok House on Sunday for the event and noted seeing “between 15 and 20 people” in the vegetable plot, walking around the site with vegetables, “including some with shoppings bags full of them.”

"When we walked past the vegetable garden, there were around 15-20 people there of all ages—around four years old up to around 60—ripping out the vegetables from the garden,” the visitor told the source. “There were lots of different families, couples, etc. there doing this. There was a laminated sign on the vegetable patch with the Glasgow City Council logo on it stating that the vegetables are surplus and because it was a community garden, then to help yourself to them, which is what these people ended up doing. At the time, we thought it was ridiculous that the council would allow this with no staff on site, when they could have easily given the surplus to homeless shelters and people in need."

Despite the new information, the local authorities are still investigating the incident as potential vandalism, but acknowledged it may have "appeared people could simply help themselves."

"Garden staff had put the sign out as they regularly do. We had given vegetables to Pollok House and the vegetables in the basket would otherwise have perished if we didn’t offer them out, in the basket. The sign has been in place for a few weeks with no issues,” a Pollok Park spokesperson told the Evening Times. “Perhaps with it being Doors Open Day at Pollok House and [there was] our sign to take vegetables from the basket, it appeared people could simply help themselves to what was in the ground which has resulted in considerable damage that in no uncertain terms results in vandalism that staff have had to deal with. The matter was reported to the Police and is, as far as we know, an ongoing investigation."

Was it the worst case scenario of merchandising gone wrong? Or was this the work of true criminals? Only time will tell.