ATHENS, Ga. — The owners of a well-known Athens store say a precise break-in has cost them thousands of dollars. Now, investigators are looking at how it happened as the victims try to recover from their losses.
The owner of the Food Express at 151 Nellie B Ave. said he believes the attack was targeted and carefully planned out by several thieves who not only took his cash and inventory but also a piece of his trust.
Mohammad Momin said the crime happened around 3 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
"The break the whole back door," he said.
He said they left a gaping hole in the wall. He's since placed cinder blocks in the damaged area. And while there are surveillance cameras at every turn, he said there's no video.
"They cut the power system and everything cut off and before they come in, they cut the alarm and everything off," Momin said.
He said that after the crooks cut the power cords, they took all the equipment that backs up to a recording system.
Momin said they took everything from cash registers to clothing, lottery tickets to lollipops. They even took frozen food from the freezer, clearing out the shrimp and chicken wings.
"That's my whole inventory I built up and I lose everything on one night," he said.
Momin estimated at least $24,000 worth of his stock and belongings were taken. He said that's on the low end and doesn't include property damage costs. And it all happened just yards away from a police precinct.
Shop owner out $24,000 after precise break-in
Momen shared photos of the damage and video of the aftermath when detectives were lifting fingerprints from the counter area.
Local Fred Clemmons said in no uncertain words how frustrated he would be if it had been his own shop. And like many other customers, he is very upset.
"You work all your life to get what you get and somebody take it," he said.
Another customer, Tywanna Wilson isn't happy either adding that it hurts her as well.
"I think it's messed up because this is our own little corner store and it messed up," she said. "It took a lot of stuff from us because we normally come down, but stuff and now they've been closed since they got robbed. It hurt the community."
Momin is ordering new inventory now that the hole in his back wall has been filled and he hopes to reopen on Monday. Unfortunately though, on top of the loss of inventory and the cost of repairs, he's been losing money from potential sales for each day he's been forced to stay closed.
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