DETECTIVES hunting a gang of armed robbers who raided a prestigious Winchester jeweller have made what could be their first breakthrough in the case.
Officers working on the robbery arrested a 24-year-old man at an address in Birmingham in connection with the raid on the Jeremy France jewellers.
It is the first arrest police have made since the failed robbery at the shop on December 19, which saw terrified staff and customers held at gunpoint after the four-man gang burst in through the front door.
The gang escaped empty-handed from the shop in Winchester High Street, after new hi-tech security systems scared them off.
It is thought they then made off in a Saab estate car which was found torched less than a mile away just minutes later.
The systems were installed after a similar armed raid on the shop in November 2005 saw the robbers make off with more than £250,000 of jewels.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary confirmed detectives had made the arrest, adding that the man had subsequently been released on police bail until March 14.
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