Burglary in Mougins: four suspects arrested by GIGN with fake Kalashnikovs
Armed burglars carrying replica war weapons were apprehended in Cannet two days after looting a luxury villa in Mougins. The entire haul was recovered.
Four arrests following an armed burglary at a Mougins villa
According to France Info, four suspects were arrested in Cannet by the GIGN unit two days after the burglary of a luxury villa in Mougins, in the Alpes-Maritimes. The incident occurred on Tuesday 25 August, in broad daylight.
Surveillance footage shows three individuals moving through the property's garden in an almost military fashion: faces concealed, gloved hands, and armed with what appears to be a Kalashnikov assault rifle. One of the men strikes a glass patio door with the weapon to gain entry inside.
The house was unoccupied at the time of the break-in. The burglars left with luxury leather goods, taking care to pick up items that had fallen to the ground before fleeing in a vehicle bearing false registration plates.
The shock experienced by residents, a week later
In Mougins, the shock remains perceptible several days after the incident. "When people arrive with weapons, it's monstrous, because before there may have been burglaries, but we didn't have weapons like those," said one resident interviewed by France Info. Another local testified: "When you're used to peace and quiet, listen, when something like this happens, it's always very shocking."
Metallic replicas designed to intimidate
The gendarmes, who arrived on the scene shortly after the perpetrators fled, quickly located the group. The entire haul was recovered, along with the weapons, which proved to be counterfeit replicas.
Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Plaidy, commander of the Cannes departmental gendarmerie, clarified the nature of these replicas: "We have a reproduction of a war weapon that is truly metallic, that has the same weight and that represents in every respect a real weapon. And we also have two pistols. Ultimately the aim is achieved: to frighten the victims in order to impress them and extort money from them."
The four suspects are to be tried in October next year.
Source: France Info