la bourget airport
It is the latest in a long
line of high-value robberies to hit France and comes just weeks after reality
TV star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in a Paris flat. Ms Kardashian
was attacked by a gang of five robbers who got away with millions of pounds
worth of jewels on October 3. The famous
star reported had a dazzling ring worth £3.5million stolen from her. The
reality star is believed to have been robbed of £8.5million [in Indian Rs. 72.50 crores !] of jewellery
including the sparkler which was her second engagement ring designed by her
husband Kanye West. Kanye gifted his wife with the ring and it was flashing on social media
since. Whilst the exact pieces that were
taken haven't been confirmed, Kim had been wearing the eye-catching 15-carat
Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring in her pictures, as well as during her
outings in Paris. She and a security
guard had guns pointed at their heads and were tied up by the gang, who are
still at large.
Weeks later Bollywood
beauty and international model Mallika Sherawat was tear gassed and beaten up
by three masked intruders in her own Paris apartment block, though there were
some contradictory reports later. In the wake of these attacks security
consultants revealed that wealthy tourists are increasingly avoiding Paris as a
holiday destination while many are asking for extra bodyguard protection. Business
is said to be booming for security firms that provide bodyguards.
The director of a service
providing bodyguards, blamed poor policing, unemployment and even the increase
of 'undocumented' illegal immigrants in central Paris. He is quoted as saying - 'We have a lot of clients in Paris asking for
security services as they don’t feel safe. We recommend to have protection with
you during the day and guards at night if your building/residence is not
secure.'
In August 2014, the convoy
of a Saudi Prince was also held up as it made its way to Le Bourget. Up to
eight robbers driving BMWs hijacked the first vehicle in the convoy and sped
off with its three occupants before letting them go. In March last year robbers launched an
audacious raid on two armoured trucks on a busy motorway in a crime linked to a
notorious gang known as the Pink Panthers. Jewels worth at least £7million were
stolen by armed robbers who struck at a toll booth on the route linking Paris
to the South of France. The daring raid took place just after midnight as the
security trucks approached the toll at Avallon in Burgundy, 125 miles
south-east of Paris on the A6.
Thieves used gas sprays to
knock out the two armed guards in each lorry. The guards were pulled from their
cabs and dumped by the toll booth. The
methods used in the robbery immediately led to speculation that the Pink
Panthers – a notorious gang of criminals from Eastern Europe – had struck
again. The gang earned their name in 1993 after stealing a £500,000 diamond
from a jewellers in Mayfair, London, and hiding it in a jar of face cream – a
tactic copied from the 1963 film The Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers as
the bungling Inspector Clouseau.
Interesting !
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
23rd Nov.2016
News source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/
