CCTV appeal after hole-in-the-wall gang escape with designer handbags worth £260,000
Hermes Birkin bags were amongst the haul
It was a well planned crime. They arrived with tools to bore and drill through an adjoining wall for an hour to reach their high-value quarry.
They struck at night and one had a torch strapped to his head to light up the premises as they smashed a hole into a store to steal a quarter of million pounds worth of designer handbags.
The haul included bags by Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Michael Kors, YSL, Dior, Givenchy, Paul Costello, Prada, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, and Alexander Wang. The Hermes ones stolen included Birkin bags which can be worth tens of thousands of pounds. They were taken from the Dress Cheshire store in Prestbury.
Now police have issued images of three men they wish to identify in connection with the raid.
At around 11.40pm on Sunday June 8th police responded to reports of a burglary at an address on St James House New Road, Prestbury.
Three unknown offenders broke into a disused building next door at approximately 10.30pm that evening. They then created a hole in the adjoining wall and entered the store through the chimney area.
The offenders stole a number of high-value designer handbags, with a total estimated cost of around £260,000.
Enquiries in relation to the incident have been ongoing and officers have now released CCTV images of three men they are looking to speak to as part of the investigation.
The devastated owner of the shop said in a post on social media: "At around 11.30pm on Sunday we were burgled again. They gained entry by making a hole in the wall which is three foot deep and half a metre wide. It took them an hour to drill and bore their way into the shop.
"I am absolutely devastated. They have stolen our beautiful handbags worth a quarter of a million pounds. I will be contacting every single person affected by this crime. It was very well planned and organised."
Detective Constable Clare Slattery, of Macclesfield CID, said: "Enquiries in relation to this incident are ongoing and we’re committed to doing all we can to identify the people responsible. As part of our investigation we’re keen to identify the men pictured in the CCTV images as we believe they may hold vital information.
"If you recognise the men, please contact us. I would also like to appeal directly to the men in the CCTV images to get in touch."
Anyone with information which may assist our investigation is urged to report this via the website or call 101, quoting IML-2107075.