Cannes: £34million of jewels stolen by armed man during raid

Officials say the hold-up took place this morning in one of the area's most prestigious locations

French policemen outside the Carlton Hotel

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Armed robbers walked away with £34million of gems from a swanky hotel in Cannes.
A briefcase stuffed with rare diamonds was snatched just three days after a member of the notorious Pink Panther jewel thief gang escaped from jail.
Sources said a gunman burst into the hotel, which was staging a jewellery exhibition, and made off on foot with the astonishing haul of sparklers.
It is believed an accomplice was waiting outside the magnificent building in the resort of Cannes on the French Riviera.
A police spokesman in the French city said: “A full and urgent operation is under way to catch the culprit and recover these jewels. Thieves see Cannes as rich pickings.”
One theory is that it was the work of the Pink Panthers. It follows Milan Poparic’s jailbreak on Thursday, which made him the third member of the gang to escape from Swiss prisons in the past three months.

Member of the Pink Panther gang, Bosnian Milan Poparic

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 The other two fugitives fled a jail in May – three days before jewels worth £1million were stolen from a hotel safe in Cannes during the city’s film festival. A few days later a £1.6million necklace also vanished after a celebrity party at a five-star hotel in the neighbouring town of Cap d’Antibes.
Cannes’ reputation as the worldwide centre for gem raids was strengthened by yesterday’s raid at the glamorous Carlton Hotel on the Croisette promenade. Among the numerous items taken was jewellery encrusted with diamonds.
The temporary exhibition was being organised by Leviev, a diamond firm that started trading in London in 2006.
It is owned by Lev Leviev, an Israeli billionaire who is based in London.
Poparic, a 34-year-old Bosnian, had been serving time in Orbe jail, which is near the French border, for his role in a 2009 heist.
The international gang of robbers were given their name after British police found a diamond ring in a tub of face cream, similar to a scene from 1963 comedy film The Pink Panther starring Peter Sellers.