Brazen Paris Gunman Grabs $8M in Gems

European thieves renowned for suave, meticulous banditry

(NEWSER) - A sophisticated cadre of bandits have deserted Serbian battlefields to invade the globe's finest boutiques, the New York Times reports, daringly swiping millions worth of jewels from luxury stores. Interpol has dubbed the crooks—thought to be about 200 ex-soldiers and their relatives from the former Yugoslavia—the Serbian Pink Panthers. “The modus was always the same,” says one Monaco officer. More»

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»

Authorities use DNA evidence to find Graff jewelry suspects

(NEWSER) - British police arrested a third man today suspected of participating in the biggest jewelry heist in British history, the Times of London reports. Police already have two men in custody, having captured at least one from DNA evidence left at the scene of the crime. Authorities have said that the robbery, in which $65 million of jewelry was taken from retailer Graff Diamonds, was well organized and likely involved multiple accomplices. 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 He had withdrawn a "large amount" of cash from his lover's account, according to cops.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»