of diamond thieves pull off $100 million paris heist

Diamond thieves pull off 100-million-dollar Paris heist: 4 armed robbers pulled off one of the world's biggest jewellery heists at the Harry Winston boutique in Paris, making off with 85 million euros (107 million dollars) in diamonds and valuables.

A gang of four thieves -- two of them disguised as women -- on Thursday stole nearly all the jewels on display at the Harry Winston boutique just off the Champs-Elysees avenue, which attracts a wealthy international clientele. The heist was well-planned, a source from the investigating team told AFP. The men knew the names of some of the shop's employees and the location of some hidden storage cases for jewellery. The robbers managed to elude the high-security surveillance system and burst into the boutique at 5:30 pm (1630 GMT), at the height of the holiday shopping season.