A slick burglary crew that’s responsible for at least five break-ins at retail shops on and near the Magnificent Mile since mid-December struck again yesterday.
Police issued a new community alert about the crimes late Sunday. And, CWBChicago has learned, the team is using a particularly tricky technique to make their job easier.
A passerby found the Na Hoku jewelry store at 600 North Michigan burglarized around 7:30 yesterday morning.
Surveillance video shows that three men covered the front vestibule of the shop with plywood to make it look like construction was underway. Then, they broke through the front glass doors and made entry.
The break-in is part of a larger pattern, police say. Investigators think the same burglary crew is responsible for breaking and prying through front and side doors of pricey retailers in the 600 block of North State on Dec. 18; in the 400 block of North State on Dec. 26; in the 900 block of North Rush on Dec. 28; and in the 100 block of East Oak on Jan. 9. They also targeted a Lincoln Park store in the 1900 block of North Clybourn on Dec. 28, police said.
Once inside the businesses, the burglars go after high end clothing, purses, wallets, jewelry, and available cash, according to information released by detectives last night.
Anyone with information about the burglaries can contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380 regarding pattern P19-1-434C.