Suspects arrested after € 10m jewelry theft from Bulgari in Paris

PARIS, Sept. 7 (Reuters) – Paris police have arrested three suspected armed robbers after opening fire on their car as they escaped a € 10million ($ 12million) jewelry theft on Tuesday. dollars) in a Bulgari store in the French capital.

Three individuals, dressed in sharp suits and armed with firearms, robbed the newly renovated boutique in Place Vendôme in central Paris where the Ritz hotel is located, shortly before noon, police said.

The three fled by car while four accomplices fled on scooters. Police shot the car near the Les Halles shopping center, less than 2 kilometers away, forcing the trio to try to escape on foot.

The three men were arrested after giving up some of their loot, an officer said at the scene, as a manhunt was underway for the four who left on scooters.

Bulgari, which is owned by Bernard Arnault’s LVMH (LVMH.PA), said no one was injured in the breakage.

Parisian jewelry stores have suffered a series of armed robberies in recent months. Crime and security are expected to feature prominently among voters’ top concerns in the 2022 presidential election.

“This is not the first time that Place Vendôme has been targeted,” the officer who identified himself as Noura B .. “(But) they were not (only) pistols. they were armed with. Using big guns, taking that kind of risk… is something that rarely happens. “

In July, thieves seized jewelry worth nearly 2 million euros ($ 2.4 million) from a Chaumet store near the Champs-Elysées, although the stolen goods were later recovered and suspects arrested. Read more

That same month, robbers also hit a Dinh Van jewelry store in central Paris. Read more

The Bulgari store has recently undergone major renovations, enlarged to open on Place Vendôme and equipped with marble columns evoking its Roman origins.

The historic Place Vendôme is considered the heart of French luxury. Labels like Chanel, Boucheron or Van Cleef & Arpels have invested considerably in prestigious flagships lining the square.

($ 1 = € 0.8445)

Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Tangi Salaun, Mimosa Spencer and Manuel Ausloos; Written by Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Graff

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