Four men dressed up in burkas and carried designer handbags to slip inside Selfridges in London yesterday to carry out a watch smash and grab.
According to a report in the Evening Standard the gang used the disguises to slip in amongst shoppers in the Oxford Street store before attacking watch cabinets with axes. The four men are reported to have escaped with thousands of pounds worth of watches.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that its Flying Squad, a unit dedicated to investigating commercial armed robberies, is investigating the incident.
Officers were called to Selfridges last night at 8.30pm following a report of a smash and grab. Police said they could not confirm how many people were involved in the raid, but did confirm that some of the robbers escaped with goods from the store.
After the armed police arrived the gang escaped on mopeds but two of the robbers fell off and were apprehended by members of the public who turned them over to the police. The men were subsequently arrested.
One of the apprehended men was injured during the attack on Selfridges and was taken to hospital. The other man is in custody.
Police said that no shots were fired during the raid or apprehension.
