All of the stolen jewels have now been recovered by police from the Ritz hotel in a dramatic robbery on Wednesday, but were still searching for two thieves who got away, officials said on Thursday.
The gems, taken by a gang of at least five men, were worth an estimated €4.5m (£4m).
Workers cleaned up shattered glass on Thursday and started to repair damage from the robbery. Otherwise business appeared to be returning to normal at the Ritz, with no significant increase in security.
Three perpetrators entered by the service entrance, “smashed the jewellery stands and grabbed jewels that were clearly expensive with the help of axes,” said Jean-Michel Huguet of police union Alliance Police Nationale.
They seized watches from display cases holding wares from Rolex and Piaget, and then targeted the Alexandre Reza jewellery boutique inside the hotel.
The three inside threw bags of goods out of a window to at least two accomplices outside, according to a police official. The three suspects inside were then blocked by police officers when they tried to flee through another door, and quickly detained, the official said.
The two accomplices who were outside the hotel then fled – one on a motorcycle and another in a car. The motorcyclist dropped a bag containing jewels and hatchets when his motorcycle hit a pedestrian during his escape. The pedestrian was slightly injured.
Other jewels were found scattered amid the debris of the shattered display cases during overnight cleanup efforts.
Robbery on Wednesday comes 18 months after the Ritz reopened to guests after approximately four years of renovations and a major fire.
> Shiuly Akter
