British police were hunting for a gang on Wednesday who raided safety deposit boxes in London's major jewellery business district, making off with cash and gems in what local media said could be the country's biggest-ever heist.
London's Metropolitan Police said the thieves used heavy cutting equipment to get into the vault at Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Ltd, where they are believed to have broken into 60 to 70 boxes.
According to the Sun newspaper, the gang are thought to have tunnelled their way in through one wall to access a lift shaft at the building on Friday, while businesses in Hatton Garden, home to almost 300 diamond, gold and gem dealers and more than 50 shops, were closed for the Easter holidays.
Police gave no details of what was stolen but the Sun said the haul could be as much as 200 million pounds ($300 million), dwarfing the amounts taken in Britain's previous biggest heists.
She said a lot of jewellers and dealers leave their stock in safe deposits over holiday periods.
On its website, Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd said it was founded in 1954 and was one of the first companies in Britain to offer safe deposit boxes.
There was no immediate answer to phone calls or emails from the business.
"This is a slow and painstaking process," police said in a statement.
In 2000, police foiled a daring attempt to steal 350 million pounds worth of diamonds from a display at London's Millennium Dome in what would have been the world's biggest ever robbery.
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