Jewelry

Jewelry and cash stolen from three downtown Reading businesses - Reading Eagle

Entering through roofs like Spider-Man, burglars made off with gold and silver jewelry and cash from three stores in the 500 block of Penn Street early Tuesday.

The thieves broke into Dollar Deal, 530 Penn St., by way of the roof and ceiling ductwork at 4 a.m. and took money from the register. They bypassed the office safe, however, apparently because its weight and bulk would have slowed them.“They came from the ductwork,” owner Abdul Wahab said, noting that the thieves disconnected the security alarm at the circuit box.After leaving Dollar Deal, the burglars traveled along rooftops, skipping two businesses before forcing entry through the ceilings of Smokes and More, a tobacco shop at 520 Penn, and Richie's Bazaar, a jewelry and clothing boutique at 518 Penn, according to shop owners.“They must have been Spider-Man clones,” Richie's owner Deepak Chughani said.Dropping to the floor, the crooks wasted no time, smashing jewelry display cases and emptying them of gold and silver jewelry.Chaghuni and his employees spent the morning cleaning up glass shards and picking up items dropped by the burglars. Judging by the amount of damage done within a minute or so, Chaghuni believes there had to have been multiple burglars, perhaps as many as four.“We've been here 30 years, and the last burglary we had was 16 to18 years ago,” he said. “We had a lot more of this (crime on Penn Street) in the '80s and '90s. We haven't had much of it in the last 15 years.”Smokes and More owner Fad Mahmood said Tuesday afternoon that he was still taking inventory, but it appeared the thieves took money from the register and lottery machines. They also may have taken cartons of cigarettes, but it barely put a dent in his inventory, he said.“I've been here 14 years and this is the first time something like this has happened,” Mahmood said.He had to close the shop for the morning because he didn't have any change to give customers. He reopened shortly after noon.Allen Martin, owner of Lee's Boutique, a jewelry and beauty supplies retailer at 524 Penn, was relieved his store was spared by the burglars. He said the thieves must have known the layout and inventory of the stores, information that likely helped them plan the heists.Reading police retrieved security camera footage from the owners. Police did not release any details but confirmed all of the reported break-ins were on the even side of the 500 block.Anyone with information is asked to call Reading police at 610-655-6116 or Crime Alert Berks County's anonymous tip line, 877-373-9913.Tips can also be sent via text, using the keyword “alertberks,” to 847411.Crime Alert will pay a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.