Four men are “on the run” after a lightening armed raid on a jewellery store in Quinta Shopping, in the golden triangle between the luxury resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, which appears to have netted “hundreds of thousands of euros worth” of stock – though the official line remains “an unspecified quantity of luxury watches and jewellery” (see update below).
The hooded raiders – their faces obscured by masks – struck shortly after 10.00 as staff were opening up for the day, loading major-name designer watches and jewellery into display cases.
According to reports there were “some moments of panic” as security guards removed shoppers to safety.
It is unclear whether there were any shoppers in the store.
The men purportedly used a hammer to break the shop window before making off on two motorbikes.
Despite the raid having taken place almost 12 hours ago, details remain scarce.
SIC noticias reports the men were armed with revolvers.
What is clear, said TVI24 this evening, is that hours since making their getaway, they are “still at large”.
PJ police are investigating.
UPDATE FRIDAY:
The raid targeted Quinta Shopping’s “David Rosas” jewellers, one of an exclusive chain of shops with outlets also in Lisbon, Porto and Madeira.
Stock looted includes top-notch examples of Patek Philippe, Rolex and Baume & Mercier watches, “each item worth thousands of euros”.
This was clearly a ‘surgical-strike’. The raid was fast. The men had done their homework (knew when the stock was being loaded into the display window) and the choice of motorbikes was specifically to deter any police cars that might have ended up tailing them.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã explains this morning that the men made their getaway in the direction of the wilds of the nearby Ludo forestland, using tracks that were only accessible to two-wheelers.
The paper adds that CCTV images of the raid have yielded few details.
The raided store closed for business yesterday, and so far today staff do not appear to be answering the phone.
More details in subsequent post: “They held guns to everyone’s heads” (click here)
