A group accused of stealing valuables worth €300,000 (£260,000) from first-class railway passengers in France has been apprehended.

It is believed that they stole luggage from travelers while across the country on high-speed trains.

One 57-year-old man reportedly disguised as a woman while wearing a wig.

French media report that he and two other males, aged 47 and 40, confessed to committing the thefts over a period of five to six years.

They are suspected to have concealed stolen property in a Marseille apartment.

The alleged modus operandi consisted of stealing items during station stops when the unaware owners alighted to stretch their legs or smoke.

Local media suggest that police were alerted in April when a passenger reported the theft of a bag carrying €50,000 worth of jewelry.

Four months later, investigators discovered a stash of stolen items in the apartment in Marseille.

Items included cash totaling €130k, a watch worth €70k, expensive handbags, shoes, cameras, and jewelry.

The local police suspect that more than one hundred passengers on trains traveling between Paris, Geneva, and Nice were victims of theft and are attempting to identify them.

If convicted of robbery, the guys risk up to seven years in jail.