Break-in into Helsinki jewellery store produces EUR 100,000 haul

Perpetrators believed to be of foreign background

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Thieves who broke into the Westerback jewellery store on Helsinki’s Mikonkatu at around 2:30 on Monday morning walked away with jewellery and watches worth around EUR 100,000.
      Most of the stolen watches were high-end brand items such as Breitling, Raymond Weil, and Longines. According to the police, at least two men took part in the robbery.
     
According to Det. Insp. Kari Niinimäki, the thieves had only a couple of minutes to gather the loot before the arrival of the police. "Everything was done quickly. The perpetrators must have a criminal background of a sort. This does not look like a beginner’s job or something done on impulse."
      The perpetrators broke into the jewellery store by using a red Audi 80 car to drive a wooden beam through the door. The vehicle, abandoned in front of the store, is now in police possession.
      The thieves then used a black two-door sedan, possibly a Volkswagen Golf, as their getaway vehicle.
     
The police have photographs of the perpetrators' faces as well as of the getaway car. The thieves are believed to be of foreign background.
      The fact that the thieves did not bother to cover their faces also hints at the fact that they were not Finnish nationals. The situation is being closely monitored at all air, land, and sea ports, though no options are totally excluded.
      According to Niinimäki one thing is certain: these were not the same perpetrators who robbed the Lindroos jewellery store six months ago.
      This was not the first break-in in the history of the Westerback outlet. In February last year, a group of Estonian men looted the store and walked away with EUR 116,000 worth of jewellery. In December, nine Estonian men in all were convicted in connection with the case.
     
In recent years, the rapidly increasing number of break-ins into watch and jewellery stores has caused large expenses to jewellers.
      According to Niinimäki, one preventive measure would be the use of replicas in the display windows. "In many foreign countries no genuine articles are left in the display windows for the night. Maybe it's time this practice was introduced in Finland as well", Niinimäki ponders.
     
A wave of break-ins into jewellery stores has swept across Europe in recent years. Italy, for one, issued an international arrest warrant for more than thirty suspects. Most of them were found in Estonia.
      Recently the value of missing watches in Europe was estimated at EUR 25 million. Even without a receipt and documents, there is a willing market for "hot" Rolex, Cartier, or Breitling watches, feeding the interest of thieves.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Yet another armed robbery at jewellery store in downtown Helsinki (3.2.2006)
  Suspects held in Lahti jewellery store robbery (7.11.2006)

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