The octogenarian had been stolen in 2019 nearly 2 M € of jewelry in his senior residence, in Montpellier. One of the challenges of the trial, which is held this Monday January 11 before the Montpellier judicial court, will also be to know what has become of part of the booty.
“When they manage to blow up a two million euro safe like I had the c … to do, they will come to my level!” Listening to this telephone conversation, in March 2020, the Montpellier SRPJ police officers are jubilant. Linda, who makes these colorful words, was then imprisoned for three months in the Nîmes remand center, for a theft worthy of a real thriller, but of which she denies being the organizer.
On Boxing Day, on the night of December 26 to 27, 2019, three people dressed in black, with their faces masked, entered around 4 a.m. inside a senior residence in Montpellier, yet supposed to be ultra-secure. Equipped with badges allowing them to open the access to the apartments, they manage to seize a safe in which Simone, 88, keeps all these jewels in a safe place. The octogenarian wakes up, starts to shout, then chases the thieves in the halls. “Shut up!” replies one of them, who puts his hand over her mouth, before pushing her away bluntly.
Three pearl necklaces and a 14-carat diamond
When the alert is finally given, Simone can only observe the damage: this rich widow lost all the jewelry that her husband had given her during their long life together. About fifteen rings, including one with a 14-carat diamond, three pearl necklaces estimated together at € 500,000, gold necklaces and bracelets… In total, the damage is estimated at more than two million euros.
Very quickly, the investigation is directed towards two former carers, who have just been dismissed by the management, after being surprised in full night flight, a few days earlier. The police then closely monitor Linda, 33, and Malicia, 23, who had been hired to work with the elderly, despite their criminal records. On January 3, Linda, who is with Mathieu, a friend, in Perpignan, is followed. The police discover that they have just offered a lot of jewelry to shops buying gold.
No one wanted to say what had become of the jewelry
Their car entered the motorway: when they arrived at the Vienne-Reventin tollbooth, south of Lyon, the police took action. Linda and Mathieu are arrested, and a small part of the booty recovered. Malicia was also imprisoned, and over the following weeks, three other suspects were arrested.
All recognized, while minimizing it, their participation in this night flight which turned out to be very lucrative. But no one wanted to say what had become of the jewelry that was neither recovered by the police nor resold in the meantime. One of the challenges of the trial, which is being held this Monday, January 11, before the Montpellier judicial tribunal, may also be to find their trace.
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