WEST GERMAN NEWSPAPERS USED THEIR BOLDEST HEADLINES NOV 25 TO REPORT THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC'S LARGEST JEWEL ROBBERY. AND THE SAME DAY WHEN DUSSELDORF POLICE RECONSTRUCTED THE RAID IN WHICH FOUR MASKED GUNMAN, ARMED WITH REVOLVERS AND A SUB-MACHINEGUN, GOT AWAY WITH RINGS, NECKLACES AND BRACELETS WORTH GBP365,000, A VISNEWS CAMERAMAN WAS ON THE SCENE.

THE MASKED MEN CHOSE THE SHOP OF R.G.KERN IN KOENIGSALLEE, A HIGHLY FASHIONABLE SHOPPING CENTRE IN DUSSELDORF, THE RICH RHINE RIVER INDUSTRIAL CITY, ON NOV 24. THEY DASHED FROM A STOLEN CAR, SPRAYING THE SHOP AND A CROWD OF ONLOOKED WITH BULLETS. THE RAID LASTED TWO MINUTES BUT HEAVY TRAFFIC HELD UP THE GET-AWAY CAR. THIRTY MINUTES LATER, ACTING ON A TIP FROM A TAXI-DRIVER, POLICE RAIDED A NIGHTCLUB BASEMENT TO FIND FIVE MEN AND A STRIPTEASE GIRL SORTING OUT THE LOOT OF THE ROBBERY. A SUB-MACHINEGUN AND FOUR REVOLVERS LAY NEARBY.

POLICE SAID THE ROBBERS FOLLOWED WITH AMAZING ACCURACY THE SCRIPT OF A TELEVISION FILM, "THE PERFECT HOLD-UP", FILMED IN THE SAME SHOP TWO YEARS AGO AND SHOWN ON THE WEST GERMAN NATIONAL NETWORK.

THE RECONSTRUCTION, PREPARED BY THE DUSSELDORF POLICE, SHOWS THE "GUNMEN" ENTERING THE SHOP AND AN ASSISTANT PRESSING AN ALARM BELL BEFORE RUNNING AWAY. THE BELL WHICH IS CONNECTED TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS ALERTS PATROLS BUT DURING THE ACTUAL RAID, THE GUNMEN FLED BEFORE POLICE ARRIVED. CONTINUING THE RECONSTRUCTION, FIFTY POLICE AND DETECTIVES RACED TO THE ELYSEE NIGHTCLUB WHERE THEY MADE THEIR ARREST THE FILM CONCLUDES WITH SHOTS OF THE JEWELLERY RECOVERED.

AMONG THE WELL-KNOWN CLIENTS OF THE DUSSERLDORF SHOP ARE KING SAUD OF SAUDI ARABIA, KING HASSAN OF MOROCCO AND QUEEN FARAH OF PERSIA.