Security camera footage from inside a Scarborough mall shows one of several break-ins that have left business owners on edge.
Thieves targeted two stores inside the GTA Square Mall near Finch Avenue and Middlefield Road on Thursday at around 2 a.m.
Video of the incidents obtained by CTV News Toronto later in the day shows two suspects walking through the empty mall before reaching Ineeka Jewellery and Gift. The video then shows the suspects smashing a glass window of the store before wiggling between the display cases. The suspects, who have their faces covered, then begin to open drawers and go through shelving units.
The video footage also shows the suspects leaving the store and walking to MJ’s Gold House, which is located a few stores down. The suspects are then seen smashing the glass door and windows of the second store. One of the suspects, who appears to be wearing a trench coat and carrying an axe, is seen breaking a display case before beginning to shove watches into a bag.
The owner of MJ’s Gold House said the suspects took about $7,500 worth of merchandise and between $4,000 and $5,000 in cash from the back office at the time.
According to business owners, the mall has been broken into three times since April 2018. The second break-in was in mid-December.
Ineeka Jewellery and Gift has been targeted by the thieves during each incident. The store’s owner said he has lost lots of money and is getting frustrated that the suspects have not been caught.
“And all the time police came to this building but still they didn’t catch anybody,” Elilvenghan Peranpam said. “This is indoor mall. This is very safe. That's why I started business here. Now I am very scared I have a plan to move to another place.”
Police say they are searching for the two suspects, who were last seen fleeing from the mall on foot, but have not provided any detailed descriptions.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Tracy Tong
