Gunman robs Edinburgh jeweller of Rolex watches worth £100,000

A GUNMAN who terrified staff at an upmarket jeweller’s before stealing Rolex watches worth £100,000 was last night being hunted by police.

Laing JewellersPH

Robbers stole £100,000 worth of Rolex watches

The robber struck at Laing the Jeweller in Frederick Street, Edinburgh, at 9.30am.

He tried in vain to hijack a passing black Hackney cab and a van before commandeering a private hire car after threatening the driver.

The driver was told to go to the Pilton district in the north of the city, where the man vanished into a nearby street.

This robbery left the staff badly shaken but thankfully unhurt

Det Sgt Raymond Gray

A 19-year-old student was in the taxi when it was hijacked. He was shaken but unhurt. The terrified driver, who was not hurt, raised the alarm.

The suspect was last seen when he left the vehicle in Pilton Drive North at its junction with Royston Mains Crescent.

He is white, in his early 30s, 5ft 10in tall and wearing a dark padded hooded jacket, blue trousers, blue and white scarf. He was carrying a black and white rucksack.

Police believe he had a change of clothes in his rucksack.

Det Sgt Raymond Gray said: “This robbery left the staff badly shaken but thankfully unhurt. We’re keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the man, or has information about the crime. They should contact police immediately on 101.”

Yesterday’s raid is the latest in a series of raids at upmarket designer jewellers in Scotland.

Last June, three men snatched £1.3million worth of watches, rings and necklaces from Hamilton & Inches, the Queen’s jewellers in Edinburgh.

The haul in Scotland’s biggest jewellery heist included a diamond necklace worth £325,000. One suspect has been arrested and is awaiting trial.

And five men are facing trial after they were arrested in connection with a dramatic raid last September.

Four shops – Rox, Mappin and Webb, Laing the Jeweller and Lewis Grant –  in Glasgow’s Argyll Arcade were targeted. A security guard was injured.

Masked thugs tried, but failed, to smash their way into several shops using axes and a sledgehammer. But 18 watches worth £250,000 were snatched from Rox.

In January 2013, raiders staged a £730,000 armed robbery at the Rox store in Edinburgh in under two minutes. Two men were later jailed for a total of 22 years.

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