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http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/europe/2015/03/12/armed-attackers-in-french-jewel-heist.html
Armed attackers in French jewel heist
Updated: 8:13 am, Thursday, 12 March 2015
Armed robbers have attacked two heavily guarded vans on a French motorway before making off with jewels worth millions.
The stash is valued at around $A12.5m, according to sources.
The robbery happened in Burgundy on the A6 near Auxerre at the Avallon payment kiosk, around 200km southeast of Paris.
The drivers were forced to leave the vans and the thieves then drove off with the jewels. No one was hurt.
The burned-out vans were later found in a nearby forest, with the jewels all gone.
Police have set up a cordon in the area, backed by air support.
France has seen a number of high-end jewellery raids in recent years.
There were three dramatic raids in the south, including one at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes which was believed to have been carried out by the Pink Panther gang, named after the famous film.
One man suspected of being involved in the gang is 47-year-old Milan Poparic, a Montenegrin-born former member of the French Foreign Legion.
He and others are accused of stealing jewels with a value of more than $485m since 1999.
Eight people were last month convicted in connection with one of the most spectacular jewel thefts in France in recent years at a Harry Winston boutique in Paris.
The 2008 robbery was particularly remembered because the raid involving about $A120 m of jewels was carried out by three cross-dressing gunmen.
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Armed attackers in French jewel heist
Updated: 8:13 am, Thursday, 12 March 2015
Armed robbers have attacked two heavily guarded vans on a French motorway before making off with jewels worth millions.
The stash is valued at around $A12.5m, according to sources.
The robbery happened in Burgundy on the A6 near Auxerre at the Avallon payment kiosk, around 200km southeast of Paris.
The drivers were forced to leave the vans and the thieves then drove off with the jewels. No one was hurt.
The burned-out vans were later found in a nearby forest, with the jewels all gone.
Police have set up a cordon in the area, backed by air support.
France has seen a number of high-end jewellery raids in recent years.
There were three dramatic raids in the south, including one at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes which was believed to have been carried out by the Pink Panther gang, named after the famous film.
One man suspected of being involved in the gang is 47-year-old Milan Poparic, a Montenegrin-born former member of the French Foreign Legion.
He and others are accused of stealing jewels with a value of more than $485m since 1999.
Eight people were last month convicted in connection with one of the most spectacular jewel thefts in France in recent years at a Harry Winston boutique in Paris.
The 2008 robbery was particularly remembered because the raid involving about $A120 m of jewels was carried out by three cross-dressing gunmen.
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