Thieves who dug an underground tunnel to a Milan showroom have stolen several million euros of jewellery.

Seven men dressed as police came through the cellar wall, tied up staff and made off with some of Damiani’s most valuable pieces in minutes. Before Sunday’s real-life Italian Job, they had dug for several weeks from a building under construction next door.

Luckily for the showroom, some of its most valuable pieces were on display at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles.

The thieves tied the staff up with plastic cable and sticky tape. They then locked everyone in the bathroom except the manager, who was taken to the safety deposit room and forced to empty the lockers.

Although some of the showroom’s jewellery was gracing the red carpet thousands of miles away, there was nonetheless plenty left in Milan.

The real value of the pieces stolen is not yet known as a list is still being compiled.
But it is thought to be millions of pounds worth of gold earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings - all of them studded with diamonds.