Robbers’ obsession with looting high-end/luxury stores is quickly reaching radical new heights. In an incident that caught everyone by surprise, three armed robbers dressed in suits raided Bulgari’s premium store on Paris’ Place Vendome in broad daylight last Saturday and vanished away with almost €10 million (approx AUD $16.5 million) worth of jewellery.
The Roman jeweller’s luxurious Place Vendome outlet, which happens to be adjacent to The Ministry of Justice has been made the target of another armed robbery and is the second time the boutique has been attacked since September 2021. Despite being located in such a high-profile area and in close proximity to the Ministry of Justice’s office, no police were around when the robbery transpired. So if you see any suspicious-looking characters walking around extra icey over the next few weeks, hold onto your wallet.
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According to the local police and prosecutors, three people (two carrying assault rifles) came in on two motorbikes and entered the store at around 1:45 p.m. local time. After knocking down a security guard, they managed to take control of the store and copped expensive jewellery and watches before making an escape. The whole robbery took just a couple of minutes before “the raiders then got back on to their two black motorbikes, and calmly escaped the square,” a source told The Daily Mail.
Bystanders and tourists present near the store managed to capture the incident and the footage has been doing the rounds on the internet. The video shows one of the robbers (dressed in full black clothing with a helmet on) walking outside the flagship with a rifle and signalling people to get away from the store. The thieves fled from the boutique and were reportedly chased by cops during which two of the suspects were captured.
“Quick reaction by Paris police after a jewellery store robbery at Place Vendôme. Two suspects in custody,” the Paris police informed on Twitter. A widescale pursuit has since been launched for the other suspects involved with the theft. As of writing, the stolen goods have not been found by the police.
Image: AFP via Getty Images
Bulgari released an official statement about the incident and confirmed that a security guard on duty was given medical and emergency services soon after the incident, as per WWD. “A complaint has been filed, and the house will not make further comment, leaving police and justice services to investigate,” says Bulgari. While the value of the stolen items was not immediately disclosed, The Guardian reports that items worth € 10 million (approx AUD $16.5 million) were stolen from the Bulgari Place Vendôme store in Paris. The luxury fashion house has yet to comment on which jewellery items were stolen in the heist.
High-profile armed robberies in Place Vendome and across Paris are becoming commonplace occurrences and have seen a massive uptick in the past year or so. Last year, four armed thieves made away with jewels and other expensive items from a Chanel store while a Chaumet store near the Champs-Elysees was embezzled of nearly $2.5 million worth of merchandise last July.
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