12.8.09

GRAFF DIAMONDS £40 MILLION RAID IS BRITAIN'S BIGGEST GEM HEIST



TWO SMARTLY DRESSED MEN, WEARING IMMACULATE SUITS AND CONCEALED HANDGUNS, ARRIVED AT THE PRESTIGIOUS MAYFAIR JEWELERS GRAFF DIAMONDS BY TAXI ESCAPED WITH JEWELRY WORTH OVER £40 MILLION, IN WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE BRITAIN'S BIGGEST GEMS RAID. SCOTLAND YARD TODAY ISSUED CCTV IMAGES OF THE PAIR, WHO THREATENED THE STAFF AT GRAFF'S WITH HANDGUNS, BRIEFLY SEIZED A WOMAN EMPLOYEE AS A HOSTAGE, AND FIRED WARNING SHOTS AS THEY MADE A GETAWAY IN A SERIES OF CARS, APPEALING TO ANYONE WHO RECOGNIZES THEM TO COME FORWARD URGENTLY. THE EXTENT OF THE HEIST HAD BEEN KEPT SECRET BUT POLICE HAVE NOW DISCLOSED THE STAGGERING SUM YESTERDAY AND RELEASED THE CCTV FOOTAGE IN THE HOPE OF CATCHING THE "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS" MEN. BRITAIN'S PREVIOUS BIGGEST DIAMOND JEWELRY ROBBERY IS BELIEVED TO BE A £23 MILLION RAID, WHICH ALSO TOOK PLACE AT GRAFF'S, IN 2003.

THE TWO MEN, THOUGHT TO BE LONDONERS, ARRIVED IN A TAXI AT 4.40p ON 6.AUGUST AND WERE ONLY IN THE NEW BOND STREET JEWELERS FOR A MATTER OF MINUTES. AFTER BEING LET IN THROUGH THE SECURITY DOORS, BOTH MEN PRODUCED HANDGUNS AND THREATENED STAFF. THEY SELECTED A TOTAL OF 43 ITEMS, INCLUDING RINGS, BRACELETS, NECKLACES AND WATCHES, AND PLACED THEM INTO A BAG, BEFORE BRIEFLY SEIZING A WOMAN EMPLOYEE HOSTAGE. SHE WAS TAKEN OUTSIDE BUT RELEASED WHEN THE THIEVES MADE THEIR GETAWAY IN A BLUE BMW, HAVING FIRED A WARNING SHOT ABOVE THEIR HEADS. THE ESCAPE WAS NEARLY FOILED WHEN THE BMW CRASHED INTO A BLACK CAB IN DOVER STREET. THE MEN THEN SWITCHED TO A SILVER MERCEDES, AND LATER AGAIN INTO A BLACK VEHICLE POSSIBLY A FORD GALAXY OR VW SHARAN. IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE JEWELS WERE TRANSFERRED TO A WAITING MOTORCYCLIST WHO WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE QUICKLY. DETECTIVES BELIEVE THE THIEVES TARGETED THE MOST EXPENSIVE ITEMS IN THE STORE. ONE OFFICER SAID: "THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR AND WE SUSPECT THEY ALREADY HAVE A MARKET FOR THE JEWELS." THE SUSPECTS DETAILS HAVE BEEN CIRCULATED TO ALL PORTS AND AIRPORTS BUT POLICE BELIEVE THEY WOULD HAVE ORGANIZED AN ESCAPE ROUTE AND MAY ALREADY HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY.

No comments:

Post a Comment