Previously we reported about daring broad-daylight prison escape wherein members of the infamous European jewel heist syndicate, The Pink Panther Gang, sprung one of their own from prison. The escape was more of an invasion, really, with gang members firing AK-47s at guards that were either unarmed or armed with only handguns. The whole thing was quite the stir unto itself, and you can and should read about it here to be up to date on all the principals that come into play in this installment of the story.
The BBC reports that in Cannes, France – yes, that Cannes, the resort on the French Riviera that plays host to the famous annual film festival – there has been a daring jewelry heist Sunday morning.
Starting to see where this could be going?
Officials say a masked man entered the Carlton Hotel and made off with a briefcase full of jewels, it is not yet reported who the owner of the jewels was, but an exhibition of diamonds by the jeweler Leviev was being held in the lobby of the hotel.
A Cannes police spokesman said: “A full and urgent operation is under way to catch the culprit and recover these jewels. Thieves see Cannes as rich pickings.”
The deliciousness of the Carlton as the scene of a jewel heist is not lost authorities there. The Carlton Hotel is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed To Catch A Thief – his 1955 film about a jewel thief operating in the French Riviera.
So the big question is: do these two stories – a prison break involving a ring of jewel thieves, and a jewel heist in Cannes – have anything to do with each other? While authorities certainly won’t speculate about that publicly, you can bet that reporters will be asking the question. And you can bet that investigators will at least have the possibility of it in the backs of their minds as they go about their work.
Inspector Clouseau would be thrilled.