Letterkenny Shopping Centre.
BY C.J.MCGINLEY
A DARING gang stole over €7,000 worth of jewellery in what gardai have described as a well planned and executed operation.
The gang struck in the early hours of Monday morning at McCullagh’s Jewellery shop in Letterkenny Shopping Centre.
The gang broke into the shopping centre through the roof and once inside gained access to the jewellery shop by cutting a hole into the premises from an adjoining store, The Zone.
The thieves are believed to have struck just before 4am. Speaking to the Donegal News Garda Superintendent Vincent O’Brien said the robbery had the hallmarks of a well organised gang.
“They obviously had their research done,” he said.
“They got onto the roof at Tesco and cut a hole through galvanised metal to gain access into the Shopping Centre. They dropped down and then cut another hole in a partition between The Zone and McCullagh’s Jewellers. The gang stole diamonds, rings and necklaces from a display unit,” he added.
Superintendent O’Brien said the gang made their escape without activating the alarm.
“There has been a number of similar raids in different parts of the country and we’re looking at any patterns as part of the investigation,” he said.
Gardai are anxious to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Letterkenny Shopping Centre between 3.30 and 4.30 am to contact them.
“A full inventory of the stolen goods is being done and we estimate at this stage it was valued at between €7,000 and €10,000,” Superintendent O’Brien said.
Detectives are examaning CCTV of the area as a hunt for the gang gets underway. Forensic detectives are also on scene carrying out a full examination of the scene.