Other1 min read

Stolen watch worth US$290,000 returned to Japan store with sorry note

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The incident began when a man pretending to be a customer fled a Tokyo store with an Audemars Piguet timepiece on his wrist. Days later, the shop received a parcel containing the watch and an apology note, with serial numbers subsequently confirming its identity. Tokyo police are actively continuing their theft investigation to locate the perpetrator despite the merchandise being recovered. This robbery follows an August case where four luxury watches valued at US$1.3 million were stolen from a neighboring store in the complex.

Key points

  • Tokyo police are actively pursuing the suspect on theft charges despite the safe return o…: Tokyo police are actively pursuing the suspect on theft charges despite the safe return of the watch.
  • The retail venue previously suffered the loss of four watches valued at US$1.3 million du…: The retail venue previously suffered the loss of four watches valued at US$1.3 million during an August heist.
  • The recovered Swiss luxury item carries an estimated retail value of approximately US$290…: The recovered Swiss luxury item carries an estimated retail value of approximately US$290,000.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Tokyo police are still searching for a man on suspicion of theft.

TOKYO: A Swiss luxury watch worth about US$290,000 that was stolen from a Tokyo store last week has been returned with an apology note, according to local media.

The theft occurred when a man posing as a customer tried on the Audemars Piguet timepiece and then fled the shop in the Japanese capital while it was still on his wrist.

But the case took a twist when the store received a package containing the watch - and a handwritten note saying sorry, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media reported on Monday (Nov 2), citing unnamed investigative sources.

The watch's serial number reportedly identified it as the stolen item.

The shop declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Tokyo police are still searching for the man on suspicion of theft, according to the Asahi.

In August, four luxury watches worth 200 million yen (US$1.3 million) were stolen from another store in the same shopping complex.

Other