Brazen 'Pink Panther' Heists Stir Ire, Admiration of Cops

Theft among costliest in French history

(AP) - Armed robbers—some dressed in drag—made off with $100 million in loot in what police today called one of France's costliest jewel heists. Brandishing handguns, three or four lightning-fast thieves swiped rings, necklaces, and luxury watches from display cases at the Harry Winston store near the Champs-Elysees in central Paris, the AP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - A lone gunman boldly stepped into a plush Chopard store in Paris and walked out with $8 million in gems yesterday, reports the BBC. The thief, dressed in a suit and fedora, forced the staff to hand over 15 pieces of jewelry, then calmly exited into the aftyernoon sun. Late last year armed robbers stole $102 million in jewels from a shop off the Champs-Elysées. Yesterday's heist was on the exclusive Place Vendôme near the Ritz and the Ministry of Justice. More»

(NEWSER) - French cops have busted 26 people linked to the biggest jewelry heist ever in France, reports the Guardian. Police swooped in after learning that foreign buyers were about to contact the team to purchase gems lifted late last year in a brazen daylight armed robbery in Paris. The suspects, both men and women aged 22 to 67, include a security guard and several gangsters in the $100 million heist in the American gem boutique Harry Winston. Cops recovered large amounts of cash, weapons and stolen jewelry. More»

Ian Griffin removed cash from account of murdered lover: cops

(NEWSER) - A British tycoon suspected of fatally beating his wealthy lover with furniture and his fists in a Paris hotel has been found camping in England, reports the Telegraph. Ian Griffin, 39, was tracked down "living rough" in Cheshire, said a police source. He had withdrawn a "large amount" of cash from his lover's account, according to cops. Griffin tried to flee by sea after Polish millionnaire Kinga Legg's battered body was found last week, but he was unable to quickly obtain a boat. More»

(NEWSER) - The tycoon lover of a Polish businesswoman found battered to death in the bathtub of a ritzy Paris hotel claims the woman attacked him with a stun gun before a fatal fight, reports the Times of London. British millionaire Ian Griffin told a former girlfriend that Kinga Legg used a stun gun that was disguised as a lipstick. The two trashed the room in the midst of a deadly row after drinking "copious" amounts of champagne last week in the Bristol, said authorities. More»