Six men rob Limassol jewellery shop (Updated)

SIX men walked into a jewellery shop in Limassol on Thursday, lifting goods worth hundreds of thousands of euros before fleeing the scene.

The brazen bandits were in and out in a matter of minutes.

The burglars hit the Anastasios Stephanides & Son store on Archbishop Makarios Avenue around 6.30pm during shop opening hours.

According to the police, one man, posing as a customer, walked up to the security guard outside the shop and got him to unlock the door and let him in. Once the door was opened, five more men wearing hoods appeared, using pepper spray to immobilize the security guard and the two store employees.

The perpetrators then smashed up the shop’s window panes, snatching brand wristwatches and luxurious jewellery, which they stuffed into backpacks. They then exited the shop through the back door and boarded a waiting getaway vehicle that sped away.

Eyewitnesses described the vehicle as a yellow Mitsubishi Pajero.

Reports said the perpetrators spoke English; they were described only as well-built. Police said their MO bore an uncanny similarity to a heist that took place on December 2012 in the tourist area of Limassol.