Robbers pull off $160m Paris jewellery heist

Jewellery worth more than $160 million has been stolen from a Paris boutique in what is believed to be France’s biggest jewellery theft.

Four thieves, two of them disguised in women’s clothes, swooped on the Harry Winston store on the Avenue Montaigne, near the Champs-Elysees.

They threatened staff and customers with guns and herded them into a corner of the boutique before taking rings, necklaces and watches worth an estimated $162 million.

Police officials said it appeared to have been an inside job, with the robbers knowing the names of staff in the store and the whereabouts of hidden storage cases.

The US-owned chain, which has outlets in London and Asia, specialises in the top end of the market, with watches starting from $32,000 while a more modest necklace costs $120,000.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 at 2:57 pm and is filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.