Yet another armed robbery at jewellery store in downtown Helsinki

Westerback's on Mikonkadu hit in broad daylight; police suspect Estonian connection

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Two men of foreign origin robbed the Westerback jewellery store on Helsinki's Mikonkatu at 13:02 yesterday, Thursday. This was the fifth gold heist in Helsinki in the course of the past 12 months.
      One of the men threatened the staff with a handgun while the other broke the display window with a hammer from inside the store.
      In addition to the staff, one customer was present during the hold-up. Nobody was hurt during the incident.
      According to information gathered by Helsingin Sanomat, the haul included about 20 valuable Cartier, Breitling, and Eterna watches.
      The value of a single watch may be as high as thousands of euros.
     
After the robbery the men fled across Mikonkatu into the Vanha Kauppakuja shopping arcade.
      Having noticed the heist, two men went after them, whereupon the robbers fired a warning shot into the air. At this point, the passers-by gave up their chase.
      The robbers ran along Pohjoisesplanadi towards Mannerheimintie, and were picked up by a grey Opel Vectra with some men waiting inside the car.
     
The escape vehicle had a Finnish licence plate with the registration number JFN-237.
      The licence plates belong to a blue 2004 Opel Vectra station wagon that was stolen from the Kauppakatu car park in Lohja earlier yesterday morning.
      Police believe that the escape vehicle - the grey Opel Vectra - had been seen arriving in Finland by a ship from Estonia the same morning. At that time, the car had an Estonian licence plate with the registration number 379 MBY. There were four or five men inside the vehicle.
     
According to the police, the men who robbed the Westerback gold store were slim and about 180 to 190 cm tall.
      The man who broke the glass with the hammer is about 25 to 35 years old. He has short fair hair.
      At the time of the robbery, the man was wearing blue jeans, and a cap, a waist-length jacket, and sneakers, all light-coloured.
      The man who threatened the staff with a handgun is thin-faced. He was dressed in a dark cap and coat, and was wearing sunglasses.
      The perpetrators were unmasked. Apparently, the surveillance cameras on Mikonkatu and Pohjoisesplanadi recorded images of the men.
     
Police were searching for the robbers still late last night. They were last seen in Pohjoisesplanadi, where they jumped into the escape vehicle.
      Detective Inspector Seppo Sillanpää of the Helsinki Police Department believes that the Westerback heist is connected with at least three of the earlier robberies committed in Helsinki within the last 12 months.
      "All these gold robberies have been led by Estonians and are connected with each other. A total of some 50 similar incidents have occurred all over Europe in various countries", reports Sillanpää.
     
All the robberies have been carefully planned and committed in the city centre and in broad daylight. In many cases, even the modus operandi in the store appears to have been very similar.
      Police are continuing to investigate the robbery, and all information concerning the perpetrators should be forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division on the following telephone numbers: (09) 189 5464 during office hours, and (09) 189 4002 outside office hours.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Armed man holds up jewellery store in Espoo - police apprehend two suspects (16.9.2004)
  Armed men rob jewellery store in middle of day in downtown Helsinki (15.12.2005)

Links:
  Helsinki Police Department

Helsingin Sanomat