Security cameras captured the moment burglars ransacked a Beverly Hills shop and escaped with almost $200,000 worth of wigs for cancer patients.
The smash-and-grab burglary targeted The Wig Fairy located on La Cienega where at least three thieves shattered the glass front doors before sprinting inside.
“Everything was shattered,” said Mona Zargar, owner of The Wig Fairy. “The glass was everywhere. They used two long metal [poles] to break in.”
The suspects quickly grabbed handfuls of merchandise, ignoring the blaring store alarms.
“They grabbed so much that there were wigs all over the floor,” Zargar said. “They scooped them up, running out the door. It was two-and-a-half minutes and they stole a lot.”
About 70 custom human hair wigs were taken, worth almost $200,000, Zargar said.
Most of the wigs were meant for cancer and alopecia patients. Many of them had been waiting for their custom wigs for weeks.
Zargar has been in business for six years and said she’s alarmed by the increasing amount of crime in the neighborhood surrounding her shop. Despite knowing that thieves and flash mobs are targeting stores across Southern California, she never thought her small business would be the next victim.
“We see malls where it’s happening and we can’t even take our children to the mall these days,” Zargar said. “So when something like this happens, I couldn’t believe it.”
She recalled feeling upset when she had to break the news to her clients who had been patiently waiting for their wigs.
“We had to call our clients one by one,” Zargar said. “We have a lot of children who we work with, elderly women. It’s heartbreaking because a lot of them are going through treatment.”
Zargar said she loves providing wigs to cancer and alopecia patients to help them regain their confidence.
For now, she and her stylists have been working overtime to make up for the lost products — handcrafting, cutting, shaping and coloring each wig carefully. Handcrafting each wig takes a lot of time and manpower, Zargar said.
“It’s been stressful just trying to catch up on everything,” said a lead stylist at The Wig Fairy.
“It’s not even about the value,” Zargar said of the wigs. “It belongs to someone.”
Police believe, like most stolen retail merchandise, the wigs will likely be resold online or elsewhere for a profit.
Anyone with information on the suspects can call the LAPD at 1-877-275-5273.
Cancer patients interested in a wig can check out The Brave Program, a nonprofit organization that works with The Wig Fairy, dedicated to helping those with hair loss.