Alleged Mastermind of Luxury Watch Theft Ring Arrested in Paris

The quadragenarian was indicted on October 19 for organized theft before being placed in detention. He would be the mastermind of the gang that managed in October to steal two luxury watches from tourists in front of the famous Hôtel Raphaël, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. These were a Hublot worth 192,000 euros and a Rolex worth 50,000 euros, reports Le Parisien.

According to a source close to the case, a Jordanian tourist was getting out of a VTC in front of the five-star hotel on October 15 when an individual "threw him to the ground and seized his precious Hublot watch, without him realizing it." By viewing the surveillance camera images of the hotel and the street, the investigators of the territorial security discover that the same pickpockets had used the same procedure a few days earlier and in the same place to attack a Canadian tourist whom they dispossessed of his Rolex.

The agents manage to locate the two thieves and their receiver who were staying in a small hotel in the Paris region. Mohamed and Hamza were arrested and taken into custody on October 18. The third suspect, he, is untraceable. The agents seized nearly 2,500 euros as well as a Rolex watch, which is not the one stolen, during the search.

While Hamza admitted the facts, admitting to having met the Moroccan in the Netherlands and "received the sum of 500 euros," according to a source close to the case, Mohamed, for his part, denied any involvement in this case, claiming to be a textile entrepreneur living between Spain, France and Morocco. He would have met the two other suspects in Amsterdam. The Moroccan is known to the justice system for having been convicted in 2016 for theft.

Investigators found searches on the Hublot watch on his phone, as well as photographs of other pieces and conversations about the authentication of these luxury items. Despite this evidence, Mohamed rejects the accusations against him. "I did nothing. It was the other two who stole. They said it was me who would have sold their loot. It’s false! The Rolex found in my sock was mine," the quadragenarian had defended himself before the investigating chamber.