Women caught on camera crawling under counter, stealing jewelry from Kensington store

A group of women was caught on video stealing jewelry from a store in Maryland, and the owner is hoping he can get the pieces, some of which are sentimental items, back to their owners. 

The images show how quickly the women distracted the owner of Raffie Jewelers in Kensington and made off with a box of customers’ jewelry which had been brought in for repair.

In the video, a woman can be seen crawling under the counter. She quickly focuses on, grabs and crawls away with a box of small manilla envelopes containing jewelry that was ready for pick up. 

“The box was full of repairs, because many customers were out of town,” owner Raffie Bardizbanian said. 

For decades, families have trusted Bardizbanian with the repair and cleaning of jewelry that is precious to them. He said he is sick about what happened Tuesday afternoon.

“Terrible. Terrible. If it was my merchandise, I would not feel as bad as what I’m feeling now. This is customers’ merchandise,” he said. 

Security cameras show how the group entered the store. Three women distracted Bardizbanian by asking to see items from a display case.

That’s when one of the others crawled under the counter and grabbed a box of jewelry worth tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention its sentimental value. She then handed it to an accomplice, who tucked the valuables under her long skirt.

The women left in a blue minivan parked nearby. Images of it were captured by an outdoor security camera.

Among the items stolen were “engagement rings, wedding bands, heavy gold bracelets,” Bardizbanian said.

Montgomery County police would like to hear from any other merchants that may have encountered the women.