5 arrested in USD 4m jewellery heist, kidnapping

Authorities say five people have been arrested in the robbery of USD 4 million in jewellery from a Connecticut store in an elaborate heist that began with the kidnapping of store employees more than 64-km away.

Federal prosecutors in Connecticut say the five were charged but did not immediately release additional information. Two defendants are scheduled to appear in the afternoon today in a federal court in Bridgeport.

Police said a group of men wearing masks and gloves broke into an apartment in Meriden on April 11 and bound and gagged four people, including the manager and another employee of a Lenox Jewelry store in Fairfield. The employees were then forced to use their access codes to open the safe.