Two women were robbed of valuables worth at least $5.3 million by masked men who held them and their driver up on a freeway in Paris, according to media reports.
The Qatari women, aged in their sixties, had left Le Bourget airport north of the French capital in a Bentley when they were targeted, sprayed with tear gas and robbed, AFP reported.
It said the stretch of freeway is frequently used by robbers to target wealthy foreigners in luxury cars — the thieves often strike during traffic jams.
Other victims include a Saudi prince who was robbed two years ago and a Korean art collector who was relieved of $4.3 million worth of jewelry last year, according to media reports.
Other parts of Paris have also been the scene of a number of high-profile incidents recently.
The robbers often take advantage of traffic jams to pounce.
Last month, a taxi transporting the CEO of a French furniture chain among other passengers was held up after leaving Le Bourget.
The three robbers made off with an estimated 100,000 euros in valuables.
A Korean art collector was the target of a similar heist last year, with three attackers snatching four million euros in jewels from her car.
Within Paris itself a number of high-profile robberies have led the government to step up security around tourist spots.
Earlier this month, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and her partner Cyrille Auxenfans were teargassed and assaulted as they arrived at Auxenfans’ apartment building in the 16th arrondissement. The masked attackers fled empty-handed after failing to snatch Sherawat’s bag, according to media reports.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West was targeted at her hotel in Paris in October, when robbers threatened her with a gun, tied her up and locked her in a bathroom before fleeing with jewelry worth an estimated $11 million.