Thief swipes $13 million in jewels, handbags and cash from a London mansion

Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Police in London are searching for a burglar who broke into an occupied mansion and stole more than 10.5 million pounds ($13.2 million) worth of jewelry, designer handbags and cash.

The owners of the estate, identified in British media as an Instagram influencer and her developer husband, were not home at the time on Dec. 7. But employees were there and a housekeeper had a near run-in with the armed intruder, according to surveillance footage.

“This is a brazen offense where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon,” Det. Constable Paulo Roberts of the Metropolitan Police said on Monday, when the theft was announced.

Among the stolen items were a 10.73-carat diamond ring, diamond earrings and a clip studded with gold, diamonds and sapphires. The haul also included 150,000 pounds ($189,000) worth of handbags.

The homeowners have offered a 500,000 pound ($628,000) reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, and an additional reward of 10% of the value of recovered items.

Police said the suspect broke in by climbing through a second-floor window.

Surveillance footage obtained by the MailOnline showed the man walking down a corridor a minute before a maid stepped off an elevator in the same place.

The home near Regent’s Park in one of London’s wealthiest areas.