ACT Policing’s Detective Acting Inspector Mark Battye shares details of the alleged robbery. Photo: Supplied.
Four Frenchmen came to Canberra to allegedly steal $10 million worth of jewellery, handbags and other luxury items, police have revealed.
The four faced Canberra’s courts in October, but suppression orders were imposed, preventing media reporting on details of the allegations.
On Thursday (11 December), an ACT Policing spokesperson said police were called on 15 October after reports of a burglary at a Canberra home.
Police said officers reviewed CCTV footage that showed two men allegedly breaking into the home and taking more than 70 items, including luxury handbags, watches and jewellery – the haul worth an estimated $10 million.
Police said investigations led them to a Mitsubishi Outlander, which they allege was seen near the home and had previously travelled in and out of the ACT on multiple occasions.
They said the vehicle was rented by a French national, who arrived in Australia with three other Frenchmen on 7 October.
Detective Acting Inspector Mark Battye described the incident as “like a movie” and said he had never seen an alleged theft of this magnitude in Canberra.
“The manner in which it occurred, with people allegedly flying over from the other side of the world to do this targeted burglary, is something like a movie,” he said.
“That’s definitely something we don’t see too often.”
ACT police worked with officers from the NSW Robbery and Serious Crime Squad to find the four men, who were located and arrested in a fast food restaurant in Sydney on 19 October.
The following day ACT Policing and AFP Eastern Command officers carried out a search warrant at a Wentworthville short-term rental residence. Some of the allegedly stolen property was recovered, including multiple Hermes handbags.
On 21 October, the four men were extradited to the ACT. Each has been charged with aggravated burglary – intent to commit theft and joint commission theft.
Australian and French police found some of the allegedly stolen items in France. However, authorities are still working to recover several outstanding items, including a Richard Mille RM88 (Smiley) watch, Hermes Chaos and Gavroche rings and a Van Cleef Seoul necklace.
Two Patek Philippe watches – a 5711 Tiffany and a 5711 40th Anniversary – are also missing.
“These items are distinctive, valuable and cannot be easily on-sold,” the ACT Policing spokesperson said.
Det Battye said it was “traditional detective work” that led to the identification of the accused men.
“We’re really happy and proud of our detective work – our teams that have brought these people back to Canberra,” he said.
“We’ll let the court do its job and adjudicate on the facts and evidence.”
The four men are expected to next appear in court in January.
Anyone who can assist police is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by visiting the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Quote 8189788. Information can be provided anonymously.
