‘Pink Panther’ Heist of Jewish Diamond King Lev Leviev in Cannes Soars to $136M
French police investigate the scene of a massive diamond robbery in Cannes, France. It bears the hallmarks of the notorious ?Pink Panther? theft ring. Image by getty images
The theft of diamonds and jewels owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev could be the largest jewelry heist in years after the worth of the stolen jewels was estimated at $136 million.
A masked gunman stole the diamonds and jewels from an exhibition at a luxury resort in Cannes on Sunday afternoon. The thief threatened the exhibition staff and visitors at the Carlton Hotel, filled a briefcase with the jewels and fled in an operation that lasted about a minute, police told the Associated Press.
Immediately following the robbery, police estimated the value of the stolen jewels to be $53 million. A more complete inventory of the stolen jewelry puts the value at some $136 million, the AP reported Tuesday.
Private security guards had protected the exhibit.
The display about the Leviev diamond house at the prestigious Carlton Hotel had been scheduled to run through August.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
