On Wednesday 21 January at around 4:00pm, a man used a “large” rock to smash the front window of Mecca Jewellery, situated on Sydney Road in Brunswick, an inner Melbourne suburb.
The thief – reportedly armed with a knife – proceeded to take jewellery from the store window before escaping in a getaway car.
Information released by Victoria Police indicated that a $25,000 gold necklace had been stolen but other reports suggested the store incurred a greater loss of gold jewellery valued up to $50,000.
It’s not the first time Mecca Jewellery has been targeted by thieves. It is believed that there have been three previous attempted robberies at the store, with the latest incident being the first in which thieves managed to escape with stolen jewellery.
“It’s too dangerous to keep going,” the store’s owner, Soroush Haqiqi, told The Age. “It’s not even about the money – it’s about the danger this street [Sydney Road] is facing.”
As previously reported by Jeweller, another brazen daytime robbery involving three men – said to be armed with a gun, knife and taser – occurred on Sydney Road in October 2014. The store, which lost between $250,000 and $300,000 in cash and jewellery, was identified by various sources as Medina Jewellery, located only 550 metres from the latest robbery at Mecca Jewellery.
Although neither Victoria Police nor media reports indicated any link between the two robberies, one media source suggested the two store owners were cousins.
Investigators have released CCTV footage and images of the man they wish to speak to in relation to the most recent incident.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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