The Cumming Police Department is investigating a burglary with a narrow escape — and entrance.

Responding to an alarm about 6 a.m. Sunday, police discovered a hole had been cut into the back of the Beverage Depot II on Hwy. 9 in Cumming.

Police Sgt. Bryan Zimbardi said persons unknown made off with a large amount of cash, antique coins and jewelry.

No alcoholic beverages were reported missing.

The hole, about 1 foot by 1 foot, may have been created with a box cutter or similar tool, Zimbardi said.

“They crawled through a hole and wound up inside of an interior cabinet structure,” he said.

The criminal investigations division is handling the case. Zimbardi said officers are reviewing about 14 to 16 hours of surveillance video.

Though the alarm sounded at 6:12 a.m., Zimbardi said the exact time of the burglary is not known.

“Our officer was there in less than four minutes,” he said. “There’s too much work involved for it to have been a four-minute job.

“At this point, we are under the impression the alarm is not related.”

The method of burglary is not the first in the city, Zimbardi said.

Within the past couple years, a food store on Pirkle Ferry Road and a gas station on Tolbert Street have had holes cut into their sides, he said.