Authorities in the US states of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida are probing whether there is a link between three robberies at jewellery stores and the possibility of a woman with a "masculine build" being involved.
In each of three recent robberies, the thief was described as a woman who allegedly tied up store employees before loading up on valuables.
The robberies occurred in three states, at three different franchises, between early August and early September.
Authorities in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida are now investigating whether there are connections between the three incidents, CNN reported.
The first robbery, on August 5, targeted a Zales store Dawsonville, Georgia.
The robber was a woman with a "masculine build," said Tony Wooten, a spokesman for the Dawson County Sheriff's Office.
She entered the store as soon as it opened, brandished a gun and made away with valuables worth an estimated USD 13,000, Wooten said.
"She forced employees to the back of the store, where she zip-tied their hands before robbing the Zales," he said.
About a week later, a woman robbed a Reeds store in Panama City Beach, on Florida's Gulf Coast, leaving with a merchandise worth over USD 400,000. Police has released this photo of a female suspect in the case.
The robber "was armed with a small firearm, zip-tied the two female employees and ordered them into the restroom," said Robert Clarkson of the Panama City Beach Police Department.
She then grabbed jewelry from the showcase boxes before taking off.
The next incident occurred last week at a Jared store on the South Carolina coast, in Bluffton.
South Carolina authorities released this sketch after a robbery in Beaufort.
In this case, a female robber showed up with a black handgun and forced the employees to the back of the store, where she tied them up, said Captain Bob Bromage, a spokesman for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department.
"The female then fled the store and is believed to have left in a vehicle, although this was not observed by the employees," Bromage said.
Each of the three robberies involved a Caucasian woman acting alone, using a handgun and tying up employees before making off with merchandise, authorities said. In both the Georgia and Florida cases, local media reported that employees said the robber used zip-ties to bind them.
