Police officers have arrested a man in connection with a £40m robbery at Graff jewellers in London, it has been revealed.
The 50-year-old man from Ilford, east London, was arrested outside his home on Tuesday on suspicion of helping the robbers plan the raid, according to police. He was later released on bail after questioning pending further inquiries. Scotland Yard officers also raided three more properties, all based in London and the South East, as part of their investigation into the theft.
The raids follow the release of CCTV footage showing two male suspects entering the exclusive Mayfair shop shortly before the burglary. In what is believed to be the biggest gem heist in British history, two armed robbers dressed in suits entered the exclusive Graff Diamonds in New Bond Street last Thursday afternoon and stole 43 bracelets, necklaces, rings and watches - worth a whopping £40m. Once inside the store, the duo, who are believed to have made an appointment under a bogus name, turned handguns on the staff, taking one woman employee hostage, before emptying the contents of one jewellery cabinet into a bag and fleeing in a getaway car.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said, "Following the release of CCTV images of two men we want to speak to, officers are currently following up a number of inquiries."
In a further twist, a London make-up artist has told the Sun newspaper that he carried out a four-hour make-up session on the two men caught on CCTV, including applying liquid latex rubber face masks and altering their skin tone and hair colour, mistakenly believing that he was transforming them for a pop music video.
A Graff Diamonds spokesperson was not available to comment at the time of writing.
Picture: The two male suspects caught on CCTV entering the Graff jewellery store.
