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To catch a thief – look in Harvey Nicks' ceiling

Arifa Akbar
Thursday 19 September 2002 00:00 BST

As far as jewellery thieves go, Harvey Nichols' latest night visitor must rate as the most nonchalant.

The suspected burglar, who is believed to have broken into the Knightsbridge store at midnight on Tuesday, hung around, quite literally, until the following afternoon.

The suspect is alleged to have carried out his heist at an exclusive jewellery counter in the store. Then, in what could pass for a scene from one of Hollywood's great heist capers, he hid himself in a ceiling cavity where he waited for a chance to escape with the loot.

But he was discovered yesterday afternoon by astonished store staff, suspended in the cavity, between a decorative ceiling and the true ceiling.

The store had originally informed the Metropolitan Police that items had gone missing from the jewellery counter yesterday morning.

Officers returned in the afternoon to arrest the man, who is of Eastern European appearance, and took him to Notting Hill police station in west London for questioning, where he remains in custody. Police plan to view the store's CCTV footage.

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