Pearls worth £180,000 stolen from car in West Sussex
A travelling salesman had £180,000 worth of pearls stolen from the boot of his car while it was parked in a West Sussex village, police said.
Sussex Police said two thieves smashed their way through the Audi A4's back window and took four briefcases and a box containing long strings of pearls.
The salesman, from Germany, left the car for about five minutes to visit a client when the theft happened.
Detectives have appealed for witnesses to the incident on Wednesday afternoon.
The force said the jewellery had not been made up into items for sale and each string had a tag showing a picture of a pearl diver and the firm's name - DI PERLE.
The two suspects are believed to have driven east towards the A24 in a blue Volkswagen Passat.
Det Con Andy Hobden said: "We would like to talk to anyone who was in the Storrington area on Wednesday afternoon and who saw this theft.
"We would also like to hear from anyone who is subsequently offered strings of pearls."