Ritz axe raiders dumped jewels

SOME of the jewellery stolen from the ritz hotel in Paris was dumped as two of the five raiders fled, police say.

Three of the masked gang are in custody facing up to 15 years in prison over the £4 million raid on Wednesday evening.

axes were used to smash open jewellery displays in a corridor at the rear of the five-star hotel. Some of the haul was discovered on pavements and in gutters.

Police are still hunting the other two raiders – one who escaped in a renault Megane and the other on a moped.

a police source said: ‘Part of the loot was recovered scattered about during the arrest of three of the suspected robbers.’

More jewels and watches were found in a bag dropped by one of the suspects.

The value of the recovered goods is thought to run into thousands of pounds. The three arrested men, who are French and in their 20s, fought police and were disabled with stun guns.

The ritz, in Place Vendome, is next to the justice ministry, making it one of the best guarded hotels in France.

The hotel, where rooms cost from £885 to £1,240 a night, was operating as usual yesterday.