Chicago Thieves Allegedly Batter Through Wall to Steal $230K in Hair Extensions

Three Chicago thieves battered through a wall and crawled close to the floor to dodge motion detectors, the Chicago Tribune reports, to steal six duffel bags-worth of human hair extensions from a beauty supply store.

Peculiar as the theft was, it was likely easier than robbing a bank, and the hair extensions were reportedly worth roughly $230,000.

"This is an investment for me," the store's owner Don Shin said. "It's hard to find the natural hair right now, it isn't always available. So when I have a chance, I buy it."

He said the criminals took his best merchandise, and thinks the culprits will try to sell the extensions on the street or to salons.

One commenter wrote: "Even hair is on the black market now.  Wow."

The Chicago Tribune elaborates:

Leaving 35th Street Beauty Supply, Karina Edingburg said hair weaves are becoming more popular as they lose their stigma.

"It used to be embarrassing, but now everybody just does it," [she] said. "Women with long hair even use extensions now, to make their hair even longer."

And the natural hair is by far the most in demand because it just looks more natural, said her mother... "It's all about looking good and feeling good," she said.

Newsy has video of similar heists, and a possible explanation:

The theft reportedly occurred around 2 a.m. on Saturday, and is one of the more peculiar robberies in the crime-stricken city.

Last month, the Huffington Post reported that there had been more murders in Chicago than in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Shin says the thieves didn't take any of "the cheap stuff" and that they "knew what they were doing."  Though no arrests were made in a similar robbery last year, Shin is hoping that it will be more difficult to sell such a large quantity of hair.

"It's going to be hard (to catch them), but they are probably going to try to sell it quickly," he predicted.

The Inquisitr jokingly writes that the "windy city" may not be safe for humans or human hair extensions after the "Mission: Impossible-style" robbery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.