$200k rooftop jewellery raid
A burglar ripped off a roof panel, smashed through a wall and stole about $200,000 in jewels in a daring rooftop break-in at a boutique Christchurch mall.
Police said the burglar, or burglars, raided La Bu jewellery store in the Tannery shopping complex early on Sunday morning. They tore free a sheet of corrugated iron roofing and broke through the ceiling above an adjacent store, before punching a hole through a wall into La Bu. They pried open several lock boxes and took rings, gemstones and cash.
La Bu owner Mehmet Bayram said the rings, fitted with gems such as opals and tourmalines, were unique. They were made by his nephew and imported from Turkey. Some of them had La Bu’s distinctive tulip branding.
‘‘There’s no market for my jewellery anywhere,’’ he said, ‘‘Who is selling [it]? It’s all unique.’’
About 2000 rings were taken, each worth between $50 and $200.
The first Bayram noticed of the break-in were cushions scattered on the floor.
‘‘I [thought] something had happened. And then I saw somebody had visited me.’’
Detective Sergeant Damon Wells said investigators were reviewing CCTV footage, but it was not yet clear if more than one person was involved. The value of the goods made the burglary one of the biggest in Canterbury this year.
Police were exploring the possibility it was linked to other rooftop break-ins. Wells said the burglary method was becoming more common.
‘‘We’ve seen . . . more lately. It has happened in the past, it’s not unheard of, but we’ve had a few more lately,’’ he said.
This month, Adam Shay Sparks, 35, was sentenced to three years and three months’ jail for three burglaries where he broke into businesses through the roof and stole safes. One of his victims was a Tannery cafe.
Christchurch District Court Judge David Saunders described the burglaries as ‘‘sophisticated [and] premeditated’’.
Sparks was caught, in part, because CCTV footage showed him surveilling his targets during the day, then breaking in at night wearing the same clothing.
Tannery owner Alasdair Cassels said whoever was responsible this time also appeared well prepared. ‘‘I’m just imagining someone did a lot of scoping before they did the crime.
‘‘If you looked at how they got in and where they got in, they must have known rather well the layout of the shop.
‘‘They seemed to work in an area knowing that the area where they got in wasn’t covered by [security cameras].’’
Bayram agreed. ‘‘They came here before,’’ he said. ‘‘They know the shop.’’
Bayram had been a jeweller for 33 years.
He was ‘‘relaxed’’ about what happened – only ‘‘a little bit unhappy’’.
‘‘I know it’s lots of money, but I don’t follow money because I love my business. Sometimes bad things make good things.’’
"[Rooftop break-ins have] happened in the past, it's not unheard of, but we've had a few more lately." Det Sgt Damon Wells