Detective Robert Cravalho said the thieves may have followed their victims home and timed their heists according to the nightclub owners’ work schedules. "There are a lot of similarities," Cravalho said of the three cases he’s investigating.

One of them is the Sept. 6 home-invasion robbery on Leiali'i Street in Royal Summit in which four men tied up a 20-year-old woman and 11-year-old boy, and stole a 640-pound safe containing $300,000 worth of cash, jewelry and collectibles.

While investigating that case, Cravalho said he learned of two other recent burglaries involving nightclub owners.

On Aug. 25, the Young Street apartment of another club owner was burglarized between 7:15 p.m. and 12:45 a.m. The thieves "attacked a safe" but couldn’t get it open, said Cravalho. The reported losses included electronic equipment and jewelry, the detective said.

Two days earlier, the owner of a Ke'eaumoku Street club reported that her Ahana Street apartment was burglarized sometime between 7:10 p.m., when she left for work, and 7:50 p.m. when a relative returned home. The thieves stole a safe containing jewelry and documents.