Hatton Garden heist: seventy boxes opened in jewel raid
A gang of thieves ransacked up to 70 safety deposit boxes – some with contents worth more than a million pounds in cash and gems – leaving depositors in shock at what they fear they have lost.
Heavy equipment is said to have been used to break in to a vault at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company over the Easter bank holiday weekend, before police were alerted yesterday.
Jewellers spoke of their shock on Wednesday and raised concerns about security at the building, the centre of the UK’s diamond trade.
Some 70 deposit boxes at the store, mainly used by Hatton Garden jewellers, are thought to have been targeted.
Scotland Yard has not commented on the value of items stolen but one jeweller said some of the boxes were worth up to £2m each.
‘Painstaking’
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “This is a slow and painstaking process involving forensic examination, photographing the scene and recovering exhibits in meticulous detail in order to preserve the evidence. Officers anticipate this process to take approximately two days.
“At this stage it is believed that approximately 60-70 safety deposit boxes were opened during the burglary.
“Officers are working closely with Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd to establish the identities of those affected. Police will be contacting victims directly as and when they are identified.”