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Edina jewelry thieves cut tunnels to steal gold from Southdale Center

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Published  October 22, 2024 9:48pm CDT
Edina
FOX 9

Edina jewelry store heist involved tunnels

Police are investigating a break-in at a jewelry store in Edina that’s fit for a movie script – involving a series of tunnels through walls and nearly a million dollars in stolen gold. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni explains.

The Brief

    • More than $700,000 of gold went missing from Southdale Center’s Gift Jewelers in an apparent burglary plan.
    • Police say thieves disabled surveillance footage and cut elaborate tunnels through walls to reach the loot.
    • While Edina police continue to investigate the incident, the store’s owner believes the job might have been done by someone with knowledge of the store’s layout.

EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Thieves cut a series of holes in walls in vacant stores to break into a jewelry store at Southdale Center on Sunday night, stealing about $700,000 worth of gold. 

What we know

The thieves snuck into Gift Jewelers through cabinets under the register, disabling the surveillance system and stealing virtually everything in the store. 

Omar Mahamud, the owner, said the thieves cut through walls to create a path to his store. Surveillance video captured the sound of drilling and talking shortly before the cameras were cut.

Owner’s insight

"It was not a one-day plan; they planned this for a long time," said Mahamud.

He also suspects the thieves had knowledge of the layout beforehand. 

"I don’t want to say it, but I think it was an in-house plan," he said.

Mahamud planned to leave the mall for another location in Richfield at the end of October. Thieves hit the store one day after he posted a sign to alert customers to the change. 

He did not have insurance and said the future of his business is now unclear. 

"It’s sad. It’s all the savings. You worked hard to build your business," he said. "Right now, you have to start from the bottom."

Edina police are investigating the incident.  

Simon Property Group, which owns the mall, directed inquiries to police.