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From the Inquirer's afternoon
breaking news.
Always at
your service and ready for a dialog, Al Krigman ==========================================
2 arrested in West Philly, link to âBurka
Banditsâ suspected
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Two people were in police custody today after an early-morning raid on a West Philadelphia home netted clothing, a gun and other goods possibly belonging to the so-called Burka Bandits. In recent weeks, robbers wearing burkas - traditional Muslim garb that covers the wearer's face and head - have held up three businesses near the University of Pennsylvania. The raid was directly connected to those robberies, Penn police said. "These are very serious crimes where people were robbed at the point of a gun and some of the victims were tied up," said Chief Mark Dorsey of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department, which conducted the search along with detectives from the city's Police Department. More than 20 businesses and four banks city-wide have been robbed by burka-clad thieves in recent months. A link to those cases is still being investigated, police said. Angelika Jones, 19, is being booked in connection with two of the Penn-area incidents on charges including robbery, aggravated assault and making terroristic threats. Another 19-year-old is being held on a parole violation but is a suspect and will likely be charged in the robberies. Two other men were also questioned. Tips from community members prompted the search of the home, near 40th and Market Streets, Dorsey said. Penn and city police patrol the area on bicycle and know the people who live and work there, Dorsey said. "They took this personal and they've been working around the clock to gather information," Dorsey said. "We felt all along there was a connection to the neighborhood because of the way they'd escaped very quickly." The Penn businesses robbed were a pizza parlor, a Chinese restaurant and a small grocery, he said. All the businesses are in the 40th and Market Streets corridor. Penn police patrol the area between 39th and 43rd Streets, and between Market Street and Baltimore Avenue. The bandits hit one business as it was opening in the morning, the other two late at night. In two cases, the robbers bound employees with rope. Contact staff writer Natalie Pompilio at 215-854-2813 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
