‘Dressed for Success,’ 3 London Men Steal Millions From Safe Deposit Boxes

LONDON —  Armed robbers posing as businessmen stole up to $16 million in cash and valuables from a safe deposit firm in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge district, police said Monday.

The robbery occurred Sunday, but police did not report it until Monday night when they issued a statement that said three well-dressed robbers rifled more than 100 safe deposit boxes at the Security Deposits firm.

A police spokesman said it was impossible to say exactly how much the robbers escaped with because the contents of the boxes are private. The amount “certainly runs into several million, and could be up to 10 million pounds ($16 million),” he said.

Police said two men arrived at the firm, across the street from Harrods department store, and pretended to be prospective clients. They asked to inspect the firm’s security arrangements and were taken through the premises by managing director Parvez Latif.

Once in the downstairs vaults, they drew guns from their briefcases, according to the report. They held Latif at gunpoint and handcuffed and chained two security guards. The gunmen then let a third accomplice into the building, and the three spent about an hour going through the boxes.

A security guard freed himself about an hour after the trio fled and called police.