They press their victims on the ground or choke them from behind: Brutal robbers have already stolen people from their luxury watches in 92 raids since the beginning of the year, as reported by the French broadcaster BFMTV.
The perpetrators mainly attacked the French because only a few tourists came to the French capital because of the corona lockdown.
In the past, the perpetrators tried to steal non-violently and often unnoticed, a police investigator told the station.
But now the mostly young perpetrators followed their victims in underground garages or house entrances.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of brutal watch thefts tripled.
Immediately after the robbery, the noble watches end up on the black market at home and abroad, for example in the Gulf States or Turkey.
kim / dpa