Byline: Charlotte Otter
TWO male robbers donned burkhas and posed as Muslim women before carrying out a terrifying armed raid on a Scottish jeweller's shop.
The men wore the all-encompassing robes and carried handbags as they targeted the Glasgow store.
And last night there were fears they could be part of an international gang after it emerged a spate of similar raids have taken place across Europe.
In the latest robbery, on Saturday, one of the disguised men pulled a handgun from his burkha and threatened staff at the ATAA store in Great Western Road.
He and his accomplice then made off with jewellery worth thousands of pounds, casting off their disguises as they ran off towards Woodlands Drive.
Witnesses who saw the escape said the robbers were both Asian men.
Last christian audigier wholesale night, police were investigating whether the theft could be the the work of international criminals.
Similar raids using the burkha as a disguise have been carried out in several major cities including Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt and London.
The latest incident has provoked debate about the wearing of the burkha by Muslim women in Scotland.
Glasgow Labour councillor Hanzala Malik said yesterday: 'If retailers are uncomfortable about customers coming into secured premises and dressed in burkhas, they are perfectly within their rights to deny entry.
Banks don't allow people wearing helmets into Fake Prada Handbag Handbags their premises.' However, Osama Saeed, chief executive of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, said: 'We don't want to see people who choose to wear a face veil discriminated against.
'However, we do have sympathy with security concerns in certain situations, for example in schools.' Bashir Maan, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Scotland added: 'Traditionally, Muslim women should not enter a shop unless they are accompanied by a man. But this does not always happen.' The two suspects in the Glasgow robbery are described as Asian, around 5ft 10in to 6ft in height.
In February, a [pounds sterling]15,000 diamond ring was stolen from the Lime Blue Diamond Store in Edinburgh. It was linked to a series of international raids by a thief who dresses as a wealthy Muslim woman and has been dubbed the 'high magician'.
Last year, a 6ft6in tall robber was captured on CCTV tricking his way into a locked jewellery
embroidered patches store in Birmingham by posing as a Muslim woman before launching a violent attack on staff with four accomplices who stole [pounds sterling]200,000 of 24-carat gold jewellery.
Last night a spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: 'There's no immediate link to other crimes across Europe but we would never rule anything out.
'This was a very frightening experience for the women in the shop.'
CAPTION(S):
Traditional: Woman wearing the burkha, complete with veil
Covered: Thief in the Birmingham heist even pushed a pram
Other articles:
http://www.88wm.com/Blog/View/?1234
http://ribmagazine.com/riblife/blog/view/id_118/title_nurse-who-stole-jailed-for-nin/
...
