Concealment is one possible item of evidence that can support a prosecution for theft, but it is not a required element of theft -- if you grab a hand truck and try to walk out of a store with a stack of microwave ovens, in plain sight of everyone, then change your mind, that's theft even without the slightest hint of concealment.
His "word" is that he removed the item from the security mechanism by which it was attached to the display, rather than seeking help from store staff, then "got paranoid" and "ditched" the item -- that is, he has told us that he was stealing the item then got cold feet.Quoting llworking

