14 DAY TRIAL // A heist at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes appears to be a part of a movie plot, with thieves getting away with €40 million ($53 million) in jewelry.
The jewels were part of an exhibit at the iconic Carlton, which served as a backdrop for the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock thriller “To Catch a Thief.”
To add even more mystery to the tale, editors at Web Pro News speculate that the heist was connected to the recent escape from jail of members of the Pink Panther robbers, which are specialized on jewelry.
The name of the gang was given by the Interpol. They have pulled off several heist throughout Europe, showing particular interest in diamonds and other special precious gems.
The theft at the French Riviera hotel took place during a temporary jewelry exhibit by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, head of the Leviev diamond house.
Sky News reported that the heist took place at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 28, during a viewing of the “Extraordinary Diamonds” collection. The exhibition was set to be opened for the summer.
“It all happened very quickly and without any violence,” a statement by the prosecutor's office reads.
A man walked in wearing a baseball cap and a bandana or scarf covering his face and threatened staff with a semi-automatic weapon. He took off with gems and diamond-encrusted watches.
The police were not called in while the armed robber was still inside the facility, a standard security protocol for the venue.
According to the Daily Mail, a member of the Pink Panther gang sprung out of a Swiss jail on Thursday, helped by several men firing AK-47s. The group have been credited with several high-profile heists before.
“The Pink Panthers' methods are daring and quick. A case that made the headlines in 2007 saw gang members drive two cars into a shopping mall in Dubai and through the window of a jewelry store.
“The robbery took less than one minute and the gang made away with jewelry worth an estimated €11 million ($14.6 million),” a spokesperson for the Interpol describes.
Two other members of the gang broke out of the Bois-Mermet prison in May.