A trio of burglars smashed a tunnel in the wall of a jewellers popular with Bollywood stars before crawling through it during an ‘audacious’ £1.8million raid.
Asian gold, often targeted for its ability to hold value, diamond necklaces, bracelets, pendants and earrings were looted during the early-morning raid at Joyalukkas in Forest Gate, east London.
Three men wearing gloves spent more than three hours inside the shop after using a sledgehammer and crowbar to make a hole in the wall at the rear, between 3am and 6.40am on July 10.
Left, one of the thieves crawls through the hole and right, his accomplace swipes pieces of jewellery and stuff them in a bag
Three other men watched the premises from 5pm the previous day, while police believe another two men also acted as lookouts.
CCTV footage shows two of the gang inside the shop, one of whom wears a hoodie drawn up around his face and is sprawled on his front as he pulls jewellery out of drawers before stuffing it into a rucksack.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Pallett, of Newham CID, said: ‘This was a meticulously planned and audacious raid on a jewellery shop with £1.8 million of items stolen.
Left, the hole smashed through the wall by the gang, and right, the floor of the jewellers is covered in empty boxes and debris
‘While we think it only took the suspects around 20 minutes to make the hole, it must have been noisy work and we would appeal for anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious to contact us.’
Joyalukkas, one of a cluster of jewellers in Forest Gate, is part of an international chain which describes itself on its website as ‘the world’s favourite jeweller’.
Its ambassador is Bollywood actress Kajol Devgan, and it claims to have 10 million customers.
The thieves are believed to have escaped over a wall into a builders’ yard behind the shop.
A burglar swipes jewellery as he wriggles through a whole drilled in the wall of Joyalukkas jewellers in Forest Gate, east London
Police would like to speak to these three men in relation the audacious burglary, on July 10
Some of the men are described as in their mid-30s, while one wore a distinctive hot pink hoodie, one a black coat and another a T-shirt and shorts.
No arrests have yet been made, the Metropolitan Police said.
The force is appealing for information from anyone who may have seen the men or has been offered jewellery for sale following the raid.
Anyone with information should contact Newham CID on 020 8217 5414 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.