A man accused of posing as a police officer to steal jewellery worth more than €1 million from an elderly Monaco resident has been jailed in France following a swift cross-border investigation, the Monaco Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced…
The theft took place on 14 July, when the suspect allegedly deceived the victim by pretending to be a police officer before making off with valuables estimated at more than €1 million.
Monaco’s Public Security Directorate quickly identified both the suspect and his home in France through close cooperation with French police forces and several French public prosecutors overseeing the investigation.
A search of the suspect’s property on 17 July led investigators to recover numerous other items of jewellery as well as a substantial quantity of cash, suggesting the alleged offending may extend beyond the Monaco case.
The suspect was formally remanded in custody on 19 July after being placed under formal investigation by a French investigating judge on suspicion of organised fraud. The investigation is continuing under the authority of the French judicial authorities, while Monaco’s prosecutors have praised the rapid coordination that led to the arrest.
Image: Matthew Ansley