A foreign woman was taken into custody on Wednesday by law enforcement officers assigned to the inauguration of City Mall, the largest indoor shopping center in Central America, located near the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in the province of Alajuela.

According to a press release issued by Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, the woman was arrested as she was carting off 15 board shorts from the Arenas Skate and Surf shop at the new City Mall. The incident took place three hours after the opening celebrations, which included 1,600 special guests and entertainment acts for children.

The woman has been identified as Ayeli Carcachi from Nicaragua. Despite having resided in Costa Rica as an expat for quite a few years, she explained that she lacked legal immigration status and had also lost her identification documents. Ms. Carcachi’s loot was valued at more than $700, which suggests an average value of more than $45 per garment.

The long-anticipated City Mall opened despite being finished. Out of the 330 retail spaces available, only 210 are currently occupied. There are structural and cosmetic aspects of construction that have not been completed, and the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works complained that City Mall administrators rushed to open without an evaluation by the National Council on Roadways. At this time, there are unfinished sidewalks and storm drains, but this unfinished works are not affecting vehicular traffic or parking.

A few well-known retail franchises from the United States are making their Costa Rica debuts at City Mall; among them are the Vitamin Shoppe and Cajun Grill. More than 3,000 new employees will work at this new shopping venue, and an estimated 1,000 ancillary jobs are expected to be created as well. This is certainly good news for the municipality of Alajuela, a city that has been enjoying a burgeoning local economy this decade.