Burglars targeted a jewelry store in Encino using a blowtorch to break into the shop through a shared wall on Sunday. The thieves entered the Encino Jewelry Mart by cutting a hole in the wall from a vacant storefront next door, bypassing the store’s glass and security bars.
According to NBC Los Angeles, surveillance footage from Afghan Lapis Jewelry on Ventura Boulevard captured four burglars crawling on the floor after gaining access to the store. They spent approximately an hour and a half inside, using a blowtorch to open two safes and escaping with merchandise valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The burglars also disabled the store’s alarm system during the heist.
The store owner’s brother, Amin Nassiri, expressed the emotional impact of the crime, saying, “For one second, if you can imagine how you would feel if you built your life and you’re at retirement age and everything you saved up is gone to zero, overnight.” A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family-owned business recover and reopen.
This incident mirrors a similar burglary last month in Glendale, where suspects used a blowtorch to access a jewelry store’s safe. The Encino burglary is part of a concerning trend of similar crimes in the area.
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