Thieves make off with €5m in Paris motorway robbery

Three masked thieves have made off with belongings worth as much as five million euro after targeting two Qatari sisters on a motorway north of Paris.

French officials said the group stopped a Bentley carrying the women, sprayed their driver with tear gas and stole items including jewellery, luxury clothes and leather goods.

The sisters, aged 60 and 61, were targeted on the A1 road en route to Paris' high-end 16th arrondissement after arriving in a private jet on Monday night at Le Bourget Airport.

The French driver, who works for the women on a regular basis, reported the incident to police.

The first official said the three robbers were in a car which forced the Bentley off the road and then to stop in an emergency zone. The sisters' names were not released.

Earlier this month, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and partner Cyrille Auxenfans were the targets of a robbery attempt, also involving tear gas, in their home in a wealthy area of Paris. The robbers fled empty-handed.

In 2014, a Saudi prince's diplomatic convoy was ambushed in a heist similar to Monday's one as it headed to Le Bourget Airport, commonly used for private jets.