A break and enter at Village Goldsmith in Red Deer has people baffled.
A 1.6 metre by one metre safe weighing 720 kilograms (5.5 feet by 3.5 feet and 1,600 pounds) was removed from the store 47-6320 50th Ave in the Village Mall sometime between Monday night and 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
“How the hell did they get something that big out. That’s insane,” said an employee at a local store, who did not want to use his name.
“For that kind of weight you’d need a lot of equipment. It’s not like you can take four people and each of them grab a corner.”
An undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry were taken.
Red Deer City RCMP have no suspects.
RCMP Const. Sabrina Grunow said the crime is unique as far as jewelry store heists.
“This is very unusual. Definitely some forethought,” Grunow said.
“At this point they’ve gathered as much evidence as we can from the scene and the investigation will continue.”
Carlos Mena is the owner of Village Goldsmith.
He owner reported the break-in at 9:25 a.m. on Tuesday.
Kyle Munro, Rent A Centre assistant manager, said the theft is mind-boggling and disturbing.
“To think it happened less 20 feet down the road isn’t comforting to say the least,” said Munro at his Village Mall store.
Munro said about a month ago someone tried to pry open the front door to Rent A Centre. But that’s as far as they got.
“We’ve got a pretty good alarm system here. Even if a balloon moves overnight, the alarm goes off here and someone gets a call,” he said about the balloons that sometimes hang from the store ceiling during sales.
Yauming Ng, Blarney Stone Pub and Restaurant owner, said there’s been little crime in the area, apart from some bicycles stolen from his staff.
He said it sounds like the thieves knew exactly what to do.
“It was a very precise plan for sure,” Ng said.
Anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area is asked to call Red Deer City RCMP at 403-343-5575, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or online at www.tipsubmit.com
Suspicious behaviour may include unattended larger vehicles left idling, people loitering, unusual noises and an abnormal amount of activity given the time of day.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com