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International news agencies have reported that armed thieves stole gems worth Euro 85.0 million (USD $ 108.0 million) from the store of luxury jewellers Harry Winston located on Avenue Montaigne, just off the Champs Elysees on an avenue of luxury outlets in the heart of the French capital.
The heist, described by French media as the most lucrative theft in France’s criminal history, took place on Friday, 5 December 2008. According to a Paris Police spokesman said the gang of four men, one or two of them disguised as women, threatened customers and pistol-whipped some of the staff. They appeared well prepared. A spokes-woman at the Paris Prosecutor’s Office is quoted as having said: “These are experienced bandits. They got through the main door without drawing attention to themselves. In less than 20 minutes they entered the first floor, emptied the safes and the display cases and left through the door”.
The raid came a year almost to the day after the same store was attacked by robbers who forced staff to empty the safes and decamped with at least USD $ 16.0 million worth of jewels. According to police investigative sources, organized crime networks capable of finding buyers for the gems outside of France were likely to be involved in the burglary.
Meanwhile, it is reported that insurers are prepared to pay a USD $ 1.0 million reward for information leading to the recovery of stolen gems.