SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (WLS) — In what appeared to be a calculated crime, burglars cut through the walls of multiple stores overnight to get into Marquise Jewelry in Schaumburg and steal merchandise worth $1.5 million.
“Everything was gone. They did not leave us anything,” said owner Asma Anwar. “This was a well-planned burglary.”
Anwar and Shazad Malik walked into their store at the Woodfield Mall Friday morning to find their shelves wiped clean by burglars who had broken in during the overnight hours.
“I came into this place that I worked hard for 13 years to build, and I came to this place, and it was wiped. I was speechless at that point,” Malik said.
The couple said they were told by police that there were six people involved, after the mall closed for the night; but they said they weren’t notified about the break-in until the next morning.
“I need answers on how this was going on for overnight hours, after mall hours, how was this going on that the security was not notified,” said Anwar.
Schaumburg police said the crime was discovered by a construction worker who entered a vacant store adjacent to Marquise Jewelry at about 9:30 a.m. Monday and reported a hole in the drywall. Police said they found the suspects covered one of the surveillance cameras to avoid detection.
More disturbing was how the burglars gained access to their store. The couple found a small hole in the wall, and later learned from police the burglars cut through the walls of three other businesses to get to their jewelry store.
“This is a concern my family’s safety, this is a concern for my safety. This is a concern for millions of people walking in this mall,” Anwar said.
The couple said they have security in their store and the mall also has security patrolling overnight, so it’s unclear why they were not notified sooner.
“We are small business owners. We are not a corporation. It going to take us a long time to recover, if we can,” said Anwar.
“It’s a whole mess. It’s a big mess, you know. It’s a heartbreaking thing,” Malik said.
Schaumburg police called the investigation “very active” and said they are reviewing surveillance footage from multiple sources, as well as other evidence.