It is around 10:50 pm this Saturday evening when two men dressed in shorts strike at the door of an apartment rented on the Airbnb platform by two Brazilian tourists, rue de la Sablière, in Paris (XIV arrondissement). From the opening, they force the passage and enter the accommodation. The following scene testifies to cold and calculated violence.
The criminals force the two occupants to kneel, threaten them with a knife placed under their throat, and grab six iphones as well as 80 euros in cash before fleeing, leaving behind very shocked but physically unscathed victims.
This aggression is part of a broader home-jacking phenomenon, these burglary with violence committed in the presence of the occupants, who worry the authorities. For investigators specializing in these facts, the phenomenon has exploded in the past four years. In France, the number of home jacking continues to increase. And the capital alone represents more than half of these cases.
In 2023, the police services identified 515 facts including 317 clerks in the area (Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne) of the Paris police headquarters. In 2024, the figure climbed to 550 with a slight drop in the police headquarters (287 facts). According to the latest statistics available, 135 sequesters were reported in Paris between January and May 2024, against 102 over the same period in the previous year, an increase of more than 32 %. A trend that seems to be confirmed in this year 2025.
A disturbing element
The investigators of the Local Reception and Investigation Service (SAIP) of the 14th arrondissement, which have been seized with the case, will have to determine whether the victims have been targeted due to their status as tourists. A disturbing element was noted by the police: the victims, who were alcoholic at the time of the events, said that the owner of the Airbnb would have asked them to withdraw money in the evening, indicating that he would spend it.
“Paris remains the department most affected by burglaries in France,” recalls a police source. “And short -term rental apartments are particularly vulnerable, the occupants being less familiar with the premises and potentially less vigilant. »»
Two men in shorts, and “good presentation”
What strikes in this case is the audacity of the attackers who, instead of discreetly introducing themselves, simply hit the door. “This operating mode, which consists in presenting itself directly and forcing the passage from the opening, is increasingly frequent,” confirms a judicial police officer.
The authors of these facts are often young people aged 16 to 25, acting in small groups. In this case, the victims described two men in shorts, and “good presentation”.
The filing of complaints of Brazilian tourists, requiring the presence of a translator, will take place later. The investigation must determine whether a link exists between the owner’s request concerning the withdrawal of money and the assault that followed.