Italian thieves pocket €500k Cartier ring

Two well-dressed thieves have walked off with a €500,000 (£440,000) diamond ring from a luxury store in Rome.

The men convinced a Cartier saleswoman they wanted the store's most expensive ring as a wedding gift. Police official Paolo Guiso, who is leading the investigation, said that the men, speaking Arabic and French, looked at several pieces in the store on Via Condotti. He said one thief distracted the sales clerk, while the other quickly pocketed the ring.

One of the men left, claiming that he needed to find someone who spoke Italian. His accomplice then also left before the theft was noticed.