Around twenty luxury cars stolen from Paris car park
In the night of 16 to 17 May, approximately fifteen individuals forced their way into an automotive concierge facility in Paris and stole around twenty high-end vehicles. Four suspects have been arrested, according to France Info.
Overnight theft at an exceptional car concierge in Paris
France Info reports that around twenty prestigious vehicles — Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Porsches and BMWs — were stolen in the night of 16 to 17 May from an underground car park in Paris housing a concierge service specialising in exceptional cars.
Around fifteen individuals entered the premises by forcing open the car park's pedestrian door, then took the keys from the vehicles before leaving, each driving away in a car. Two escorts left on motorcycles to accompany the convoy.
Witnesses caught off guard
Two witnesses observed the scene without immediately suspecting a theft. "We thought they were really garage staff taking cars out. Porsches, BMW 4x4s. In fact, there was a parade of at least 20 cars. Each one had someone at the wheel. After that, there were two guys who left on bikes, who positioned themselves on the side. But they did it cleanly, we had the impression they owned the place," one of them said.
A second witness described similar impressions: "There was something doubtful about it, which was that they were actually accelerating like crazy and we thought: maybe it's because they wanted to warm up their car before going out for the evening. We had the impression the car belonged to them."
Security supposedly reinforced
The targeted concierge service advertised an elaborate security system on its website: fingerprint access, continuous video surveillance and security guard patrols every three hours. These measures were insufficient to deter the perpetrators or prevent the operation.
Four arrests, several suspects still being sought
A few hours after the incident, police arrested four men several kilometres from the crime scene. One of the stolen vehicles was found in the suburbs of Paris. Investigators from the Banditry Repression Squad (BRB) are continuing their investigations, and several suspects remain actively sought.
Risk of vehicle exportation
According to Axel Ronde, president of the CFTC Police union, this type of haul often quickly leaves the country. "Often these vehicles leave in containers and depart the national territory either in containers or via the borders of neighbouring countries," he stated. The nature of the stolen vehicles — all extremely high-value models — reinforces the hypothesis of an organised network operating at an international level.
Source: France Info