Parisian gang steal £13m of Piaget watches after holding staff hostage | World News

Three armed robbers today escaped from a jewellery store in central Paris after stealing around £13million worth of luxury goods.

The robbery took place at the luxury Swiss watch brand Piaget in central Paris, with the perpetrators allegedly holding staff members hostage while shoppers remained trapped inside.

‘Two men in suits and a woman in a dress were responsible,’ an investigating source told the Mail.

‘They calmly walked into the Piaget store and then threatened staff with a gun with a silencer on the barrel.

‘Everyone at the back of the store was forced on to the ground, and the robbers then forced a member of staff to open the display windows, and a trunk where some of the most expensive pieces are kept.

‘Once they had enough jewellery, the raiders fled on foot, and then possibly got on to two-wheelers nearby.’

An investigation is now underway and a source close to the matter said police were looking for three suspects.

The robbery took place around lunchtime at the store on the Rue de la Paix in the upscale Place Vendome area, home to several jewellers, watchmakers and luxury brands.

There have been a spate of armed robberies in the area in recent years.

In March, robbers stole millions of pounds worth of jewellery from a nearby Bulgari store, next to the Ministry of Justice, with those responsible reportedly wielding assault rifles before speeding off on motorbikes.

Last year, robbers openly carrying guns also made off with jewellery from a Chanel store in central Paris.

The four criminals were filmed calmly leaving the Vendome store after filling up their bag with designer goods.

In July 2022, thieves made off with goods worth almost £2m from a Chaumet store near the Champs-Elysees, and a Dinh Van store was also hit in the same month.

And in October 2016, more than £7m worth of jewellery was stolen after American reality TV star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint by a group of masked men in her Paris hotel room.

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