Nearly half a million dollars worth of jewelry was stolen from a California store on Saturday, after burglars tunneled under the store to grab its stash of diamonds and gold.
Arcadia Police are now searching for the culprits who managed to commit the elaborate crime while remaining undetected. It took place just hours before a multi-million dollar heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which saw eight “priceless” jewels stolen in broad-daylight.
Officers in Arcadia learned about the high-stakes theft at 10.45 a.m., after reports of the robbery at the L & Z Jewelry store came in.
According to a police statement seen by NBC Los Angeles, the APD believes that the break-in unfolded between 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. The shop’s owner, Feihong Zhao, says that the robbers “took everything.”
"When I opened the front door, I smelled burning... I saw that my safe was cut and saw that the wall had a hole,” Zhao told NBC. She also said that she went through the mysterious hole into the building next door, where she noticed a gap cut into the other business’ roof.
The thieves were inside the complex for at least four hours, Zhao believes.
The police statement said that the shop’s alarm system and cameras had been disabled by the thieves, meaning that there are no images of them entering or leaving the store.
"We worked hard, we worked for 13 years, we used all our savings to open this shop,” Zhao added. “We work hard, we work seven days a week, and they just came in and took everything we have.
"Be careful, protect your businesses and your property.”
The theft came just hours before the Louvre Museum in Paris, home of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, was subject to an elaborate.
Between 9.30 a.m. and 9.40 a.m. on Sunday, four thieves took eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels in under seven minutes.
The criminals entered the building using a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to reach the first-floor window of the Gallery of Apollo. Two of the thieves cut through glass panes with a disk cutter in order to access the museum.
After threatening the guards to get hold of the jewels, the suspects fled from the building before vanishing. Two items, including a jewel encrusted tiara which belonged to Empress Eugenie, were found near the scene.
