£3m of gems vanish during ‘Pink Panther’ heist at Chelsea fair
Detectives left clueless after audacious theft from Swiss jewellers under the noses of event’s security guards
NEVER mind the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, this was a gem heist so slick that even Sherlock Holmes would have been stumped.
Last night, an audacious jewellery theft was likened to the plot of the Pink Panther films, having left detectives clueless as to how on earth it had happened.
Gems worth up to £3 million simply vanished from the Masterpiece art fair in Chelsea, an exclusive event that positively swarms with round-the-clock security.
With no apparent witnesses, there was little to explain how or when the thieves targeted the stand belonging to Swiss jeweller Boghossian, leaving insiders forced to speculate. One theory is that the crime involved professional thieves using distraction techniques.
A source at the fair said the exhibition, which features sculpture, haute Parisian décor, fine jewellery and contemporary art, had been protected by security guards and that organisers were working with police.
Workers said they were “amazed” by the audacity of the theft. One told the Evening Standard: “There were security (staff) everywhere. It was not the normal hospital security – these were all suited and booted and really meant business.
I am very surprised this has happened. It’s like the Pink Panther films or something.”
An employee of Alan Wheatley Art, a London-based dealer, whose stand was next to Boghossian, said: “The first thing we knew of it was when we came in the next morning. Everyone was very upset. We had an item stolen from the same fair two years ago. I think the security is very good but you can only do your best. If someone wants to take something, they will do it. It is very sad as these items are there to be paid for and enjoyed.”
Another worker said: “There were loads of guys in suits protecting the exhibition. I am amazed.” Scotland Yard said the jewels were taken “at some point” between 5pm on Tuesday and 9.30am on Wednesday.
But the fair was open until 9pm on Tuesday, making it unclear whether the heist took place while it was still open to the public or under the cover of darkness. Detectives were last night studying CCTV footage to shed light on the mystery.
The fair is said to be a “leading international event” for viewing and buying the “finest works of art”. Among the 44,000 visitors at this year’s event, in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, were Kirstie Allsopp and Lord Lloydwebber. Items on sale included a one-off 1968 Riva Lamborghini for just under £2million and a light installation by the Chilean artist Iván Navarro for £700,000.
Boghossian, which is based in Geneva
‘It was not the normal hospital security – these were all suited and booted and really meant business’
but opened a store in London’s New Bond Street in 2013, declined to comment.
Last month, an article in The Jewellery Editor magazine said Boghossian “lights up Masterpiece London 2017 with a dazzling array of jewels”.
Masterpiece, which ran for a week and closed on Wednesday, said it was “fully co-operating” with the police, adding: “We take the security of the fair and the objects exhibited very seriously.” Police said there had been no arrests and enquiries continued.
♦ Armed robbers stole £500,000 worth of watches in a raid at jewellers at the luxury Gleneagles resort, police said yesterday.
The three men entered the five-star Perth and Kinross hotel at about 11am on June 27 before threatening staff at the Mappin and Webb store with a weapon believed to be a gun.
A sledgehammer was used to smash glass cabinets in the store before the trio made off with more than 50 Rolex watches and fled in a dark blue Audi.