Thief steals over €6 million worth of jewels from Paris store

May 31, 2009

Police reports say that €6 million (approximately US$8.4 million) worth of jewellery was stolen by a single thief on Saturday at the Chopard store in Place Vendome in Paris, France.

The crime happened in broad daylight, at about 15.00 local time (13.00 GMT), near the Ritz Hotel, an official from the Parisian police headquarters stated.

The Agence France-Presse news agency reports that there was no trace of a robbery from the outside of the building.

A saleswoman working at a nearby jeweller's store said that she hadn't seen or heard anything. "We were working," she said.

Chopard jewellery store makes jewels and watches for celebrities and has stores in many of the world's capital cities.

Last December, several thieves made a record jewel heist worth $100 million at the Harry Winston boutique in the Avenue Montaigne of the Champs-Elysees. An international gang called the Pink Panthers are suspected to have been responsible for that robbery.