Hollywood-Style Heist in Minnesota: Jewel Thieves Tunnel In, Swipe $700,000 in Gold
In a heist worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, robbers tunneled their way into a Minnesota jewelry store, skillfully disabling security cameras and making off with a staggering $700,000 in gold.
The daring thieves planned their operation down to the last detail, using tunnels to evade detection and severing camera feeds before emptying display cases of high-end items.
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The heist unfolded last week at Southdale Mall in Edina. Gift Jewelers locked its doors for the evening, not expecting that just three hours later, robbers would leave the store cleaned out.
FOX 9 reports that the owner, Omar Mahamud, did not have insurance, and will have to postpone a planned move to a new location and "start from the bottom."
Mahamud believes it was "an in-house plan" as the thieves had to have prior knowledge of the building layout to pull off the heist. The thieves cut through 3 walls, and disabled all the security cameras, before loading up $700,000 worth of merchandise and making their escape.
In surveillance video captured before they were disabled, you can hear the bandits cutting though the wall and see water from a broken pipe spilling over the floor of the store. You can even hear the thieves speak for a moment.
The mall is owned by Simon Property Group and Edina Police are investigating the incident. Mahamud says that the future of Gift Jewelers is now unclear after the uninsured loses.
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