This is an oldie! Gunman disguised as pensioner escapes with £2.5m luxury watches during Monaco jewelery store robbery
An armed robber disguised as a pensioner made off with £2.5 million worth of jewelery after pulling a gun on the cashier at a luxury watch store in Monaco.
The crook appeared to be wearing a latex mask and wore a suit and flat cap to make him look like an old man and conceal his identity. He fooled unsuspecting passersby as he held up the shop.
The heist lasted seven and a half minutes and saw the masked looter swipe €3 million worth of jewelery from the French Riviera store before escaping with a getaway driver on the back of a scooter.
A CCTV camera captured the shocking robbery from start to finish, with the footage showing the bespectacled man using a stick as he pretended to stumble into the store.
The brazen thief then walks up to the checkout and pulls a gun from his bag, appearing to freeze the shocked shop assistant before forcing her to fill a plastic bag with expensive timepieces.
The crook appeared to be wearing a latex mask, suit and flat cap to make him look like an old man and hide his identity
The robber orders the store clerk to help him search the store and gives her a plastic bag that they then fill with items
The store clerk looks visibly nervous as the robber continues to grab watches from the window
The attack on the Monaco store took place last Wednesday, with police appealing for information as the shoplifter is still on the run almost a week later.
Footage shows the robber apparently ordering the store employee to clear the shop windows, while passers-by stopped to stare at the luxury watches.
He scares away the onlookers by acting like a customer waiting for some watches, appearing at ease while sitting on a chair while resting his arm on the counter.
He then begins helping himself to the watches as he quickly searches the store, before spraying the surfaces with a substance in an attempt to erase any trace of his DNA.
The looter then makes off with his cache, which is hidden in the shopping bag under his arm, after which the terrified female staff member immediately jumps on the phone to alert the police.
The unknown robber is said to have fled on the passenger of a scooter to Beausoleil, about a mile inland from Monaco.
No shots were fired during the robbery and the seller was unharmed, but was taken to hospital in a state of shock after the ordeal.
The masked robber forces the woman to take the watches during the seven and a half minute robbery
The heist lasted seven and a half minutes and saw the masked looter swipe €3 million worth of jewelery from the store on the French Riviera.
A police officer told French newspaper Le Figaro: ‘They are certainly not amateurs. It takes a lot of preparation to commit a robbery in broad daylight in Monaco, given the police presence on the scene and the general level of security.”
A spokesperson for the Monaco Watch Company said: ‘As many of you know a few days ago our beloved store was robbed.
‘A masked man threatened our employee with a gun and forced her to clear the windows.
Fortunately, no one was physically injured during this process, but the shock is very deep.”
The robber sprays the surfaces with a substance in an attempt to erase any trace of his DNA
They added: ‘This brutal setback is hitting us all in the hardest possible way, but we will not let ourselves down, especially as you all give us enormous strength to get through this difficult period.
‘With this video we wanted to thank you all for your support and even more so the members who wish to leave their watches on consignment with us so that we can reopen the store as soon as possible with the utmost force.
‘Thank you again to all of you from the bottom of our hearts for being so close to us.’