Image source: Wrist Aficionado
On March 19, in a bold heist, 60 luxury Hermès bags, valued at over INR 65 crore ($2 million) were stolen from a hotel in Miami. At 3 AM, officers were dispatched to the Maison Wrist Aficionado store at the Setai Hotel, situated at 2001 Collins Avenue, following a report of a burglary. The swift response was prompted by a distress call indicating a major theft in progress at the high-end boutique.
Surveillance footage captured a man exiting a white Ford E-250 work van, marked with a PSG Construction logo. Using an unidentified tool, he swiftly unlocked the door. Shortly after, another man appeared at the front entrance, pushing a large gray garbage bin. The video also shows the first man with a similar bin, both seemingly prepared for the heist. In just 43 seconds, the pair managed to fill their empty garbage bins with 60 Hermès Birkin, valued between ₹9 lakhs and ₹16 crore ($12,000 and $2 million), and Kelly bags, valued between ₹6 lakh and ₹31 lakh ($7,630 and $38,000), approximately.
Eduardo Travieso Garcia, 45, was taken into custody only hours after the Maison Wrist Aficionado store was discovered with its front door propped open and its inventory of luxury handbags stolen. The resident of Southwest Miami-Dade is now charged with burglary, grand theft over INR 83 lakh ($100,000), and the unlawful use of a communication device. Police have yet to release any information regarding the second suspect.
Hermès bags are viewed by many as a solid investment and highly valuable in the resale market due to their enduring popularity and rarity. James Firestein, founder of the luxury resale and authentication platform OpenLuxury, told Fortune, “The resale value of the Birkin and Kelly bags over the past 10 years has outpaced gold.”
The conversion rates mentioned are based on the exchange rate at the time of the article’s publication.
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