The police felt sorry for the poor old woman who was illegally selling goods on the street — but when one of the officers bent down to take a closer look at the vegetables, the woman was immediately arrested 

The police had received a call about illegal street trading at the corner of the main road and rushed to the scene. But when they saw a harmless elderly woman with a box of vegetables, their determination faded.

The woman stood beside neatly arranged tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. She wore a worn-out sweater and a faded skirt.

— Ma’am, do you know that selling on the street is prohibited? — one of the officers asked calmly.

— I know, my dear, — she sighed. — But I need money to buy medicine for my sick son. He has no one else, and there’s no help from anywhere. All these vegetables were grown by me, in my own garden. There’s nothing wrong with that.

The officers exchanged glances. The violation was obvious, but they felt pity for her.

— We’ll let it go this time, — said the senior officer. — But please, ma’am, try to find another way to earn money. Other officers may not be as kind as we are.

— Yes, yes, of course, — replied the woman nervously, as if she couldn’t wait for them to leave.

— Since we’re already here, let’s buy something from you, — smiled one of the policemen. — Let’s do a good deed.

— No, no, that’s not necessary, dear, — she replied quickly. — I already have many customers.

— Many customers? — his partner asked, surprised. — But there’s no one around.

— Oh… they come in the mornings, — she said with an awkward laugh, — you just missed them.

— All right, then we’ll at least take a few tomatoes, — insisted the officer.

— No, my son, — she waved him off again, — leave them, let others have some.

Her voice trembled, her eyes darted around. One of the officers frowned, bent down, and picked up a tomato from the box. He examined it carefully, then suddenly said sharply:

— Arrest her. Now.

— What? What happened? — his partner asked in shock.

It turned out that the old woman…  Continued in the first comment 

The officer showed the tomato. On its surface were tiny puncture marks, as if someone had injected something inside with a needle. The same marks appeared on the other vegetables.

Later, during the investigation, it was discovered that behind the image of a helpless grandmother, the woman was actually distributing illegal substances.

At her home, they found her son — a disabled man — who was producing the substances, while the mother transported and sold them, relying on the fact that no one would ever suspect a trembling-handed, sweet-smiling old lady.

The world has long since learned how to hide evil behind the most innocent appearance.