PARIS — It reads like a campy piece of theater perfect for the Castro, but it happened in the second most logical place for such a caper: Paris. The saucy bit of fashion crime in question involves $108 million worth of jewelry, a romantic location, and three male thieves wearing women’s wigs and garments. The Harry Winston boutique probably didn’t know what had hit it when the Thursday evening thieves interrupted what had been just another evening of quiet shopping by forcing employees to remove all that glittered from the store’s display windows and safes.
Isabelle Montagne, a representative for the Paris prosecutor’s office explained to the press that the femininely adorned gunmen had pulled off their caper under the watchful eyes of both security guards and cameras – and in one of the most chi-chi of shopping locations near the Champs-Elysees.
During what is believed to be one of the biggest jewel heists in the world, police say that 15 employees were threatened by non-French speaking robbers with handguns who knew their names – and struck some on the head during the ordeal.
According to Montagne, only one customer was in the shop during what she calls a “very well-organized” robbery, which involved no injuries and no discharged firearms.
Investigators viewing the store’s surveillance tapes believe that the four robbers – one of whom remained in male garb – may be members of the so-called “Pink Panthers” jewel thief ring. Most of the Pink Panthers have hailed from Yugoslavia and Interpol holds it responsible for thefts in as many as 19 countries in Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf. It is believed that they group may have walked off with more than $150 million in goods during the past decade.
By comparison, a robbery in Antwerp five years ago saw 123 maximum-security vaults breached and $100 million worth of diamonds removed. Until now, it has been the biggest jewelry haul on record.
Harry Winston jewels have been worn by high visibility celebrities including Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor and Queen Elizabeth.
“We are cooperating with the authorities in their investigation,” Rhonda Barnat, a New York based spokeswoman for the company assured. “Our first concern is the well-being of our employees.”
For the average person, Harry Winston is likely most famous for having donated the world’s largest and most infamous blue diamond – the Hope Diamond – to the Smithsonian Institution.
