QUEENS — Police are hunting for brazen burglars who stole $24,000 worth of designer bags from a Forest Hills store by fishing them out through an opening in the ceiling, police and the owner said.
The burglary took place at Bagriculture, which sells designer shoes and bags from Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, on Feb. 4, about 8 p.m., police said.
An unknown number of suspects entered the 2-story building at 71-63 Austin St. through the skylight in the roof, police said.
They first broke into a real estate office on the second floor where they stole $10,000 in cash, authorities said.
They then made a hole in the center of the ceiling gaining access to the store, located on the ground floor. But, as first reported by CBS, they were not able to reach the bags through the opening so they made another hole closer to the counter.
The burglars then retrieved the bags by using makeshift hooks to lift them up, without ever setting foot inside the store.
The burglars were able to steal about 10 bags, according to Anthony Velez, the owner of Bagriculture.
“They stole several really rare items,” said Velez, who believes his store, not the real estate office, was the real target of the thieves.
Among the stolen items was a limited edition Louis Vuitton graffiti bag, worth at least $4,000, the owner said.
“It wasn’t even for sale,” Velez said, adding that he kept the bag in the store as an eye-catching item for collectors.
Velez said he has since installed "very clever security measures" at the store, hoping to make it impossible to break into Bagriculture ever again.
