£20,000 Jewel Robbery.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 September 1922, Page 4

£20,000 Jewel Robbery.

SAFE LOCK BURNT OUT. LONDON, June 26. Uncut diamonds and other precious stones, worth £20,000, were stolen during the week-end by scientific burglars from the offices of Messrs 11. A. • Byworth and Co., diamond mounters and dealers in precious stones, of 19-21, Heddon street, off Regentstreet, AV. The gems, many of large size apd exceptional quality, were contained in a big safe in in the office, which is on the second floor. The tlwft was His- i covered yesterday morning by a woman clerk. The safe had not been | opened ,but a section round the lock ] had been cut through by a powerful | oxy-acetylcnc flame, which ate into the hardened steel. Three heavy cylinders of oxy-acctylemi, wrapped in linoleum, had been conveyed into the building, and these had been loft behind, together with a length of rubber piping, and rolls of linen or canvas which had been fixed on a light wooden framework that had been built to screen the flame ol the oxy-acetylene gas from the windows. A similar device was adopted in a successful burglary at a Regent-street jeweller’s shop about ten years ago. GANG IN HIDING. . AYith the view to handing over to new tennants, the basement was cleared of everything on Saturday. This was apparently known to the thieves, and they laid their plans accordingly. On Saturday afternoon a man placed an iron crossbar and a lock on the door in the hall that led to the basement It is believed that alter this had taken place tTie thieves entered the basement doorway and removed the lock and bar and then lodged their implements in the cellar and hid on the premises until a woman who locked the outer door had departed. The thieves used canvas water-buck-ets, which they filled, and before | operating on the safe scattered sand | under it to prevent the molten metal I from, setting lire to the floor as it fell. > The work of burning away the lock I must have occupied several hours, and when completed the thieves made a lucky discovery. They found two keys in the sale which opened a large Ratiier safe which was iu the workroom. This sale was stored with gold, platinum, and diamonds ill an unfinished state.

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