Family-Owned Jewelry Store in Encino Devastated by Heist: A Community Rallies to Support
A family-owned jewelry store in Encino was targeted by a group of thieves who broke into the store and emptied their safes in a heist. The security cameras captured the masked intruders crawling on the ground and cutting open the steel safes with a blowtorch, escaping with hundreds of thousands in valuables. The store, Afghan Lapis Jewelry, had been in business for over 42 years, but the owners did not have insurance.
The owner's brother, Amir Nassiri, described how the thieves dug a hole from a vacant store next door to gain access to the jewelry store. The burglars were heard communicating in Spanish as they carried out the robbery. The aftermath of the heist left the store with virtually nothing, and the owner is unsure of what to do next.
The smell of scorched metal still lingers in the safe room days after the burglary. Investigators are looking into whether this incident is connected to similar heists in Simi Valley and downtown Los Angeles. A fundraiser has been set up online to support the owner of Afghan Lapis, who is left with nothing to rebuild his business.
The devastating robbery has left the owner of Afghan Lapis Jewelry with a sense of uncertainty about the future of the business. The community has rallied to support the family-owned store, but the loss of valuable items and the lack of insurance have dealt a significant blow to the business. The owner's brother, Amir Nassiri, expressed the challenges they are facing in the aftermath of the heist.