£1.5m reward offered after ‘brazen’ London gem raid

LONDON: Victims of a £10 million ($12.5 million) London jewellery raid have offered rewards of up to £1.5 million to help recover the gems and catch the thief.

Some of the property reportedly belongs to art collector Shafira Huang, said to be a multi-millionaire Instagram influencer.

A lone thief made off with the jewellery as well as designer handbags which are worth more than £150,000 after climbing through a second floor window at a property in the upmarket Primrose Hill area of north London on December 7, London´s Met Police said.

The force has released a security camera image of the suspect wearing a dark hoodie and a grey baseball cap with his face covered.

Items taken in the break-in include a number of distinctive jewel-encrusted necklaces and bracelets, Hermes Crocodile Kelly handbags and £15,000 in cash.

“This is a brazen offence where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon and violated the sanctuary of the victims´ home,” said Met detective Paulo Roberts.

“The suspect has stolen £10.4 million worth of jewellery, much of which is sentimental and unique in its design, and therefore easily identifiable,” he added.

The homeowners, who were not at the property at the time of the burglary, are offering £500,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. They are also offering a second reward of 10 percent of the value of any items recovered.