Toronto police seek thieves who wore burkas
$500,000 worth of gems taken
TORONTO — They arrived in burkas on a busy Tuesday morning, covered head to toe; even the slit revealing their eyes was veiled. Both carried black handbags and entered with no particular urgency.
Within seconds, one produced a black handgun and, in a distinctly masculine voice, demanded jewelry.
“Three seconds after they walked in, they pulled out a gun and said, ‘It’s a holdup,’” said Edmond Bakos, owner of Mona-Clara Jewellers, in an upscale York Mills strip mall.
One man forced Bakos to open a display case and quickly emptied its contents into his handbag. The other led a staff member to the store’s entrance, securing it as cars drove past.
Seven minutes after they arrived, the duo fled through the back door, where police believe a getaway vehicle awaited.
Their haul: $500,000 worth of jewelry.
“This is the first jewelry store robbery that I have seen (in Toronto) where they dressed up in burkas,” Staff Insp. Mike Earl of the Holdup Squad said of the Oct. 14 heist.
Bakos, who in an interview Wednesday described the incident as traumatic, said he and one staff member were the only people present in the store at the time. Neither was injured. Police are asking for the public’s assistance in finding the robbers. The first suspect is described as a male, about 5-foot-11, wearing black clothes.
The second suspect is a male, about 6-foot-3, with no description of ethnicity.
“It is our belief that ... somebody may have purchased a large quantity of jewelry shortly after the robbery that may point us to the right direction,” Insp. Earl said.