Police hunt ‘Lupin’ jewel thief over multimillion-pound raids on celebrity homes including Tamara Ecclestone’s
A JEWEL thief dubbed Lupin after the hit Netflix series has been named as the mastermind behind multimillion-pound raids on celebrity homes.
Alfredo Lindley, 40, was said to have swiped £26million in jewellery, watches and cash in a series of burglaries in 2019.
His victims include Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone.
Now, he has been named by Scotland Yard as it launches a manhunt across Europe.
Tamara, 37, was on holiday in Lapland with her husband and daughter when a gang broke into their West London mansion on December 1.
Men armed with screwdrivers made it past security guards and stole £25million in cash and jewellery, including a Cartier bangle.
The Crown Prosecution Service described the raid in Kensington Gardens as the highest value burglary in English legal history.
Later that month, the gang targeted ex-Chelsea and England football ace Frank Lampard, 43, who had £50,000 Patek Philippe cufflinks and a Cartier watch stolen from the West London home he shares with wife Christine, 42.
They also targeted the home of late Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha where they took items worth £1million including Patek Philippe watches.
His family had left them untouched after his 2018 helicopter crash death.
Police are yet to recover the stolen cash and valuables, which are thought to have been spirited abroad.
Meanwhile, Italian officers have accused the elusive thief of burgling former Arsenal and France footballer Patrick Vieira, 45, in 2009.
The culprit, born in Peru but of eastern European descent, is believed to be living in Serbia capital Belgrade but authorities there appear reluctant to find him.
He has been convicted at least nine times in Italy for scams and burglaries dating back to 1995.
Italian police nicknamed him after the fictional thief Arsene Lupin, inspiration for the French crime thriller starring Omar Sy.
Three of his accomplices have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle after being extradited to Britain and will be sentenced this month.
The Italian press say Serbian police have made little effort to find the ringleader of the raids despite being given tips that could have led them straight to his lair.
The Met Police confirmed Lindley was “wanted for questioning in respect of a series of high-value burglaries committed in December 2019 in Kensington and Chelsea”.
