President of Cannes’s five-star Grand Hotel, who is 76, was seized from her car near her home by an organised gang, police say

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A millionaire businesswoman has been kidnapped by an “organised gang” near her home in Nice on France’s south coast.

Jacqueline Veyrac, 76, president of Cannes’s five-star Grand Hotel, was seized from her car on Monday lunchtime, prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre said.

Her attackers forced her from the black 4x4 into another car in front of several witnesses, a source close to the case said.

“A woman of that age, kidnapped in those conditions – we are all very concerned,” Pretre said.

A police investigation has been launched to try to apprehend the “organised gang” members and secure Veyrac’s safe return.

The businesswoman was the target of an attempted kidnapping in 2013.