Six charged over jewel robberies

Detectives charged six people in connection with an investigation into a series of high value robberies on gem dealers across the country, police said today.

Rodolfo Gonzales Ramos, 36, Ivan Fernandez-Amescha, 40, Christian Villamar-Leal, 36, Luis Silva, 26, John Bernal-Patino, 27, and Dianna Albarracin-Tovar, 31, all of no fixed abode, were charged with theft last night, Scotland Yard said.

They are due to appear from custody at Leicester Magistrates' Court later today.

Police earlier said they believed raids carried out in London, the Midlands and Scotland, netted those responsible millions of pounds in the past year.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's London Crime Squad made a series of arrests following an operation in Leicester city centre on Tuesday night.