Armed robbers have pulled off one of the world's biggest jewelery thefts at a Paris shop, making off with diamonds and valuables worth $102m.
The four robbers, two of whom were disguised as women, stole nearly all the jewellery on display at Harry Winston jewellers on the Avenue Montaigne, just off the Champs-Elysees in the French capital. The robbery was well-planned, a source from the investigating team told AFP, the French news agency. The men knew the names of some of the shop's employees and the location of some hidden storage cases for jewels.
The robbers managed to elude a high-security surveillance system and burst into the boutique at 1630 GMT on Thursday, during the busy holiday shopping season. Brandishing weapons, they threatened some of the dozen employees and customers and herded them into a corner. Investigators said some of the employees had suffered blows.The haul, initially estimated at up to $79m, was revised early on Friday to $102m, making it France's biggest jewelery heist by far.
