Schaumburg police released more details Tuesday in their investigation into the break-in in which more than $1 million worth of merchandise was stolen from Marquise Jewelers at Woodfield Mall.
Among those details is that a security camera inside the store was covered when burglars entered the store after closing time on August 1 by breaking down the wall of a vacant store next door.
Although this camera did not record anything useful, an analysis of the recordings from other cameras in the mall is part of the ongoing investigation, said Christy Lindhurst, commander of the Schaumburg police.
Police also announced that the perpetrators first forced their way into the shopping center through the back door of a Sbarro restaurant and then entered the vacant retail space next to the jewelry store through a wall.
Investigators also believe that six people were involved in the break-in. This is based on surveillance footage and statements from witnesses who were in the area at the time of the break-in, Lindhurst said.
Asma Anwar, co-owner of Marquise Jewelers, told the Daily Herald that total damage and property damage would likely be at least $1.5 million, but Lindhurst said investigators are still waiting to complete an inventory of stolen goods and have not revised their original estimate of just over $1 million in damages.
A construction worker who entered the vacant apartment at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 2, saw the damaged drywall and reported it.
Woodfield Mall management declined to comment and referred all inquiries to Schaumburg Police.
Anwar, who has owned Marquise Jewelers with her husband Shazad Malik for 13 years, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The couple met while working at a jewelry stall in Woodfield before buying and rebranding it, Anwar said after the break-in. They gradually expanded their business to include three more stalls in the mall before renting a store as their main location last year, where all the merchandise was eventually stolen.
Anwar said the highly visible and regularly monitored kiosks have never suffered more than minor losses from theft over the years. The couple who own them now see these kiosks as a means of recovering their business.
In the meantime, Anwar hoped to hear more information about security from Woodfield Mall management as they consider the future of the year-old Marquise Jewelers store.
