By Tahlia Roy and Elizabeth Byrne, ABC
Police say $10m worth of luxury items were stolen, including six pieces of jewellery yet to be recovered. Photo: ABC screenshot
Four French men are accused of travelling to Australia to rob a Canberra home of more than 70 items valued at about $10 million (NZ$11.5m).
The luxury goods allegedly stolen on 15 October at a property in Canberra's south include a Richard Mille watch valued at more than A$5 million (NZ$5.7m), as well as handbags, rings and jewellery.
Detective Acting Inspector Mark Battye described the crime as "like a movie".
"I've been in the job for a long time. I've never seen a burglary of this magnitude … and with people flying over from the other side of the world to do this burglary," Battye said.
"I wasn't aware we even had watches worth over $5 million."
He said the alleged robbers went to "many lengths to conceal their identities" but that "traditional detective work" led to the arrests.
"It's something we enjoyed investigating and I'm really proud of our detectives," he said.
Men arrested at Sydney KFC
ACT police said they viewed CCTV shortly after the residents reported the thefts, with the vision showing two men breaking into the property.
Police said a Mitsubishi Outlander was seen travelling to the area multiple times in the lead-up to the incident, but officers have not disclosed which southern Canberra suburb the home was in.
Officers said they had discovered that a rented vehicle was hired by a French national shortly after their arrival in the country on 7 October with three others.
"It is common for offenders to use hire cars and at times conceal the identity of the vehicles by changing number plates," Battye said.
Police found the men in a Sydney KFC restaurant four days after the alleged burglary.
A search warrant was then executed at a short-term rental property in Wentworthville where officers said they had found some of the loot, including Hermes bags.
Global search for luxury loot
Local police are now working with French authorities to locate more of the items, after the Australian Federal Police and their French counterparts were able to find some of the allegedly stolen property in France.
Battye said a freight service had been used to send some of the now-recovered belongings to France.
The outstanding items include a $5 million (NZ$5.7m) Richard Mille RM88 (Smiley) watch.
Investigators are also searching for two Hermes rings, a Van Cleef Seoul necklace, a Patek Philippe 5711 Tiffany watch, and a Patek Philippe 5711 40th anniversary watch.
"These items are distinctive, valuable and cannot be easily on-sold," ACT police said in a statement.
The men were extradited to the ACT on 21 October before a suppression order on the details of the case was lifted by the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The case is due back in court in January.
- ABC
