Cartier Falls Victim to 2 Minute, Multi-Million Robbery

The Cartier store in Cannes was robbed on Monday by three men that within a few minutes stole jewelry with an estimated total value of $21 million. The armed theft joins a string of very fast and sophisticated robberies of jewelry worth millions of dollars that take place at high-end stores.

According to reports, a well tanned man wearing Hawaiian shirt walked into the store and threatened staff with a gun. Two partners in crime wearing helmets followed him and took jewelry from glass display cases before taking off on scooters. The robbery was over in two minutes, according to store employees.

Police say some of the stolen items are worth at least $1.6 million.

An immediate suspect in the case is a gang commonly referred to as the Pink Panther gang, which is believed to be responsible for a series of similar jewelry thefts across Europe in recent months.

“They were very fast, and spoke as little as possible. This was the work of true professionals,” a source close to the investigation told the Guardian.

Investigators say the gang is made up of former military personnel from former Yugoslavia republics that adopted a new line of work. A number of suspected members of the team, allegedly involved in a December robbery of a Harry Winston store in Paris, were arrested last month.