Detectives are hunting a professional burglary gang who stole over 100 designer handbags in a £1m raid on a mansion in Cheshire’s famous millionaire’s ‘Golden Triangle’. Burglars have already struck a number of times targeting the high-value homes of Manchester City or United footballers living within the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Prestbury, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.
On December 27th City ace Jack Grealish had his luxury pile broken into while playing a match, with his partner Sasha Attwood and her family inside at the time – the crooks fled with jewellery and watches worth £1 million. Now Cheshire Police have revealed another £1 million-plus raid just over a week ago has seen a gang make off with over 100 rare designer handbags – including a £48,000 Barenia Kelly picnic bag – as well as a £30,800 Cartier watch and other jewellery.
The burglary at a detached property on Macclesfield Road in leafy Alderley Edge also netted the thieves a haul of one-of-a-kind leather bags.
Bags included a crocodile hermes Birkin bag with £43,000, a Mini-kelly Hermes bag worth £25,000 and an ostrrich leather Hermes Birkin bag that would set you back £28,000.
The unnamed victim is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone connected to the crime.
Cheshire Police said they were called to reports of the burglary on Monday 24th February but believe the incident actually took place exactly a week earlier.
A spokesman added: “On Monday, February 17th, between 7pm and 11pm, unknown offenders gained access to the side of the property using a ladder and entered through a skylight.”
Detective Sergeant Laura Fox said: “Our enquiries are ongoing, and we would urge anyone who witnessed this incident or saw anything suspicious to get in touch with us.
“The same goes for anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV which might aid our investigation. We also want to hear from anyone who may have information regarding the whereabouts of the items that were stolen.”
Millionaire residents fear possibly just one or two gangs is trawling the Golden Triangle targeting high-value homes despite often intricate and heavy security systems.
The criminals responsible for these raids are believed to include foreign gangs that come to the UK simply to commit sophisticated burglaries, then fly home before police can catch them.
As well as Cheshire, such ‘burglary tourists’ – who even include gangs from South America – have targeted parts of London, the Thames Valley, Surrey and other parts of the Home Counties.
The Golden Triangle is also popular with business tycoons, including members of the Kamani family, who own the fashion giant Boohoo.
Meanwhile a number of past and present footballers call the area their home – including Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Ex-Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen used to live in Prestbury until they moved to a £20million home they designed nearby, while David Beckham and Marcus Rashford are also former Golden Triangle residents.
Residents in the wealthy area are being offered dedicated support by rapid-response security companies such as Stopfordian, which focuses specifically on Alderley Edge.
With a 20-man response team, the company says it is able to respond in an average of four minutes.
In one theft in Cheshire, two women flew in from Chile and targeted a property for designer handbags and jewellery.
Steve and Bernadette Pinkerton’s £3million home was hit by the pair in June 2023 after it had been scouted by a male accomplice.
The raid happened while the 62-year-old victims, who run a financial services company, were away on holiday.
Beautician Francisca Santana, 19, who claimed she came to the UK to watch the King’s coronation, and mother of three Rosa Dotes-Perez, 33, snatched items worth up to £15,000.
Dotes-Perez, 33, was jailed for 20 months while mother-of-one Santana was locked up in a young offenders’ institution for 16 months after both admitted burglary at Chester Crown Court.
Construction worker Jean Paul Pizarro, who is also Chilean, was jailed for 20 months after he pleaded guilty to burglary.
All three will be sent back to South America after their release.
Police have revealed that 300 Chilean burglary tourists had been arrested in just three years in the UK, with targets including celebrity chef Marcus Wareing and former Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
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