JEWELLERY THEFT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVII, Issue 10808, 31 December 1926, Page 5

JEWELLERY THEFT

HARROD'S STOCK STOLEN. TOTAL. VALUE OF £50,000. HOURS SPENT IN' PACKING. (Per Press Association—'Copyright). ("Sun.") (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, December 30. Practically the whole of Harrod's stock of jewellery, valued at £50,000, was cleared out by leisurely thieves, who are believed to have secreted themselves in the building at night, and who departed in relays in taxi-cabs. An open side door led to the discovery of the theft early in the morning. Only the valuables stored in vaults escaped the hands of the experts, who, after fording the steel doors of the inner jewellery store, spent at least 10 hours prising open strong cases, selecting everything of real value, and packing the goods in trunks and suit-cases stolen from an adjoining department. The manager asserts that the thieves must have been intimately acquainted with the routine of the establishment. The thieves departed through a door which had been boarded up for years. Recording clocks show that Harrod's watchmen visited every department every two hours. The thieves meantime apparently hid under the dust sheets covering the jewel cases. m A DARING EXPLOIT. MANY EMPLOYEES AT WORK. (Per Press Association) ("Sun.") •Received This Day, 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 30. Harrod's estimate their loss *at £IO,OOO. Four burglars took part in the robbery. They had to break through seven iron fireproof doors to reach their booty. While awaiting the arrival of an accomplice with a taxicab they rested on a settee and ate a stolen breakfast of fruit and wine. They removed ten bales of merchandise covering a disused door through which they escaped. Altogether they traversed 11 departments without attracting the firemen, watchmen, telephonists, timekeepers, or electricians who were working in the building.