Paris robbery: Smartly dressed gang stage €10m jewellery raid

Two men in suits and a woman in a dress have robbed a prestige jeweller's in the fashionable heart of Paris making off with goods worth millions of euros, reports say.

The trio, carrying a handgun equipped with a silencer, targeted the Piaget store at lunchtime in the chic Rue de la Paix, a stone's throw from the Opera in the city's second district.

Staff were forced to the ground, a police source told Le Parisien website.

The robbers then fled on foot.

Prosecutors believe luxury jewels worth €10m-€15m (£8.5m-£13m) were taken as the trio plundered the shop displays. No-one was reported hurt.

France's special BRB police unit targeting armed robbery and burglaries has taken over the inquiry, one of several high-profile investigations into organised gangs and hostage-taking in Paris.

Only three months ago, another smart-fronted jewellery store was targeted 100m (330ft) down the street. The Bulgari shop on Place Vendôme was attacked on a Saturday afternoon, again in broad daylight, by three armed robbers who sped away on two motorbikes.

Both Rue de la Paix and Place Vendôme are renowned for their luxury jewellers' shops. But unlike the Bulgari raid, the gang that robbed the Piaget store were smartly dressed.

French reports speak of two men in grey suits and a woman wearing a green dress and black trousers.

Sandrine Marcot of France's jewellery and watches union told French TV the number of raids was worrying: "Even though it's true the level has dramatically fallen over the years, since the end of Covid in the past couple of years, the number of robberies and burglaries has been growing."

Less than two weeks ago, Italy and Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his partner were tied up in their Paris flat as their attackers made off with jewellery, watches and other luxury goods.