Three masked individuals broke into a villa in Mougins on Tuesday, August 25, using what appeared to be an AK-47 assault rifle to smash a window and force entry while the occupants were away, according to France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Security camera footage reviewed by the outlet showed the men making off with leather goods before fleeing in a stolen car fitted with false number plates.
The Grasse public prosecutor's office opened an investigation, delegated to the Cannes criminal investigation unit, France 3 reported. Investigators traced several suspects to a short-term rental apartment in Le Cannet, and on Thursday, August 27, gendarmes from Cannes and the GIGN's Orange unit carried out a raid, arresting four suspects.
The search recovered the stolen goods along with a BB-gun replica AK-47, two fake handguns, radio jammers, a GPS tracking device and equipment used to steal vehicles, according to France 3. All four suspects have since appeared before the Grasse court; some have been placed under judicial supervision, while others remain in pretrial detention, according to Cannes Tendances. A trial is expected in October.