The persistence of the gendarmes of the research section of Besançon paid off. Two and a half years after having watched helplessly as this man fled, the soldiers finally got their hands on him. The man who passed through Algeria was housed and arrested in the Doubs. Investigations are underway to try to trace his career and identify any complicity from which he may have benefited.
–
20 kg of gold and 10 kg of platinum
According to our information, the wave of arrests was carried out during the night of these Mondays to Tuesdays, in Vuillecin. The gendarmes mobilized a large-scale device with the support of the GIGN to leave no chance to the various targets. Inside the accommodation, four suspects were apprehended. They were heavily armed. The soldiers discovered three pistols, balaclavas and narcotics. The clues discovered in this hideout suggest that violent action was planned in the coming weeks. One of them, FL, is suspected of being one of the authors of the theft committed in Châtillon.
A breakage committed in May 2019, in Châtillon-le-Duc. That day, a hooded and heavily armed commando broke into the workshops of the “Frank & Person” jewelry store. Six employees were kidnapped. The thieves then vanished into the wild with 20 kg of gold and 10 kg of platinum. The criminals then fled with their loot before evaporating into the wild.
Led by the JIRS (Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction of Nancy), the investigation carried out by the research section of Besançon quickly made it possible to identify a dozen suspects. From September of that same year, a first series of arrests took place throughout eastern France. Individuals likely to be linked to the Clairs-Soleils district, in Besançon. On September 19, one of these men was taken to his parents’ home in Thise.
–
His brother arrested in Algeria
In the afternoon, he will take advantage of a second of inattention to jump out the window and evaporate into nature. A substantial device will be deployed on the scene with the support of a helicopter and the help of dog handlers. Despite extensive investigations, the soldiers will lose track of him when they leave the village.
Six months later, in January 2020, it was his brother, also involved in this theft, who will be arrested in Algeria. The soldiers then think that the fugitive is nearby, in North Africa. The investigations will continue, without result. The survey bounces again on October 1, 2021.
A search is carried out by SR investigators in an apartment in Clairs-Soleils. Information indicates that the robber would be back in France. In the accommodation, they discover weapons and a suspect. But no trace of the fugitive. “We have surely passed on two fingers,” whispered a gendarme at the time.
–
The Nancy JIRS confirms the arrest
This time, the investigators hit the target. During the night, he was able to be restrained and arrested without a hitch. “He had strong support,” said a source close to the case.
Contacted this Tuesday, the JIRS of Nancy confirms “the arrest, last night, within the framework of a judicial investigation opened at the JIRS of Nancy for criminal association, of a person involved in the theft of gold committed in May 2019, in Châtillon-le-Duc, and who had been wanted since his escape in September 2019”.
–
