Zach Crawford
Paris at gunpoint. A gang of thieves, including two members arrested by the police, robbed the Bvlgari jewelry store in Place Vendome, in the elegant lounge of the French capital, today for a loot estimated at ten million euros. “Police reported, around 12 noon, a possible robbery in Place Vendôme, which set off in search of a car with three passengers and two scooters,” a police source said while tweeting. The high-risk operation in the heart of Paris.
Known the world over for the beauty of its palaces and the Napoleonic Column built in the style of Trajan’s Column in Rome, Place Vendôme is one of the most important squares in the French capital, home to many jewelers and luxury stores as well as the famous, recently restored Ritz and the Ministry of Justice. According to sources close to the investigation, the spoils of the Bulgari coup amount to about 10 million euros.
The car in which the thieves fled was found, a gray BMW abandoned after a chase with the police in the center of the capital. During the escape, Le Parisien writes, the alleged perpetrators were scattered on the sidewalk. A policeman shot and wounded one of the robbers in the leg, then officers stopped him. Another man was also arrested, taking refuge in the underground car park in the central Forum de Halle, while other members of the gang, at least six, according to Le Parisien newspaper, are still on the run.
The investigation of “armed robbery in an organized gang” and “criminal gang” was entrusted to the Crime Squad (Brb) of the Judicial Police. This summer, Paris has already been hit by two major robberies. On July 27, a man bought an electric scooter from a Chaumet goldsmiths’ shop. Estimated booty: 2 million euros. He was stopped the next day with his partner, with a full refund of the stolen goods. Three days later, two men armed with an electric pistol and a tear gas grenade stole jewelry worth €400,000 from a Dinh Van store.
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Laurence Malcom
