The owners of two jewelery stores are giving a second idea of how they make their living after being targeted in both crimes, which have seen a spike in the Greater Toronto region in the last one year.
Hamza Ali Nawaz said, “I am not sure if it is now worth doing this business,” said Hamza Ali Nawaz. He and his father own Nawaz Jewelers in a plaza from Markham Road.
“My father worked very hard to make this business. This is our whole life and it was taken in a matter of minutes.”
On June 30, just before 1 o’clock, a group of masked men broke into the store located at their next door, collapsed through the shared Cinderblock wall and a storm came into the back room of their store.
“They come in, they took safe and ran away.”
His entire in-store stock was within the safe, Nawaz says it cost about $ 2 million.
Naseer Deen, who owns an jewelery shop in Atobicok, was also hit two weeks ago.
“They also broke through a wall, entered my business and took my vault,” he said. “This is a professional gang. They know what they are doing.”
Both these store owners are included in a list of others in reporting crimes similar to GTA in the last few months.
In Toronto, eight stores have been hit since January of this year.
In York, there are low brake-in but seven jewelery stores in the same time intervals.
Hamza, who says that he has not yet received an update on his case, is disappointed.
“There is no progress. I call them and they say you are in a queue, so it will take time,” he said. “If he had done something soon, we would have recovered something.”
In a statement by Speaker Corner, York Regional Police stressed that a detective was actively investigating- but because it is an open case, it did not say where it currently stands.
In addition, neither they nor the Toronto Police have publicly stated whether two crimes are related to their respective areas.
“When the events appear to be associated with or serials in nature, they are usually assigned to our integrated property crime task force. This special team examines the pattern to include the same suspect or group, and a formal project is established to coordinate the response,” said by the regional police spokesperson of a York.
“These investigations can be complex and, in some cases, can expand many courts, which can expand the timeline.”
Jewelers say they are doing everything to stop theft. In Nawaz’s Markham Store, there are many security features. Customers must be buzzing through two iron gates to enter. All the cases of performance and their safe are also placed behind bars.
“But all these people were not stopped in this matter, we need help because such crimes are happening.”
Now left very little to show for years of their work, both these store owners are uncertain about their future.
“It is very terrible to do this kind of business nowadays, I am close to retiring,” Naseer said. “It was my full livelihood and now it is gone.”
Both men chose to speak and share monitoring videos, expected that one could help the police catch the suspects – and more importantly, withdraw the stolen goods.
“Because there is nothing right now. We are still in debt,” Nawaz said.
With the information, anyone is asked to call Crimestoppers, Toronto or York Regional Police.
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