Bulgari hit by 10 million euro jewel heist in Paris

One thief was shot in the leg by police and arrested

French police stand in front of the Bulgari jewellery store following a robbery at Place Vendome in Paris, France. Reuters

A group of thieves struck the Bulgari store in Paris's Place Vendome on Tuesday, making off with around 10 million euros ($12 million) in jewellery after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with two people taken into custody, sources told AFP.

The attack on the luxury store in the heart of the French capital occurred around noon and officers arrived at the scene shortly thereafter, a police source said.

The suspected thieves fled in a grey BMW and on two scooters, with one arrested after he was shot in the leg by police.

The BMW was later abandoned and another suspected thief was found hiding in a car park at the bustling Les Halles shopping centre, close to the Louvre and Notre-Dame cathedral.

“Quick reaction by Paris police after a jewellery store robbery at Place Vendome. Two suspects in custody,” the Paris police said on Twitter.

A source close to the inquiry said the thieves had grabbed jewels worth 10 million euros from Bulgari, the famed Italian jeweller that is part of the French luxury conglomerate LVMH.

It was the latest of several jewellery heists in Paris that occurred over the summer.

On July 27, a man stole two million euros' worth of jewels from a Chaumet boutique before escaping on an electric scooter. He was arrested the next day with an accomplice and most of the items were recovered.

Three days later, two men armed with an electric shock gun and tear gas robbed a Dinh Van store, seizing around 400,000 euros of loot.