PARIS — Four men armed with rifles robbed a De Beers jewelry store, one of the best-known brands in the international diamond market, on Thursday morning (12), in Paris.
The shop is located on Rue de la Paix, a traditional address of French luxury trade, a few meters from Place Vendôme. The criminals fled on two motorcycles and remained at large into the early afternoon.
The group consisted of four individuals who arrived at the site on two motorcycles, carrying long firearms. The criminals were dressed in black and used automatic rifles, according to witnesses.
A person who witnessed the robbery, heard by RTL radio, said that one of the motorcycles forced entry into the jewelry store and entered the establishment. One member of the group remained outside on the sidewalk, while the others carried out the robbery.
The operation lasted about a minute and a half, according to the account of a man who managed to record part of the movement on video. The footage shows one of the masked men holding a rifle on the street.
The criminals left the scene on two motorcycles. Despite the armament used, no one was injured.
Loss could exceed €1 million
The exact amount of the loss had not yet been disclosed by French authorities. It was also not specified which products were taken, nor the quantity of jewelry or diamonds stolen.
A preliminary estimate suggests that the value of the stolen items could exceed €1 million, roughly R$ 6.2 million at the current exchange rate.
In 2023, a Piaget jewelry store was robbed at the same address, in an incident whose losses were estimated between €10 million and €15 million. A year earlier, in 2022, a Chanel store in the area was also targeted by armed criminals.
