The Audemars Piguet wristwatch, worth approximately 46 million yen ( ₹ 2.7 crore), was sent back to the store via a courier service on November 1. A luxury watch stolen from a store in Tokyo, Japan last week has been returned to its rightful owner with a handwritten apology note.
Police search for the suspect
Staff checked the serial number and confirmed that it matched the stolen timepiece. There were two employees at the store when the theft took place. One was present in the sales area, while the other was in the back room. Neither was injured during the incident. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is continuing its investigation and searching for the man who fled with the watch. Investigators are also trying to identify the person who sent the stolen timepiece back to the store. Security camera footage from the area reportedly shows a man believed to be the suspect running away. Something resembling a watch can be seen on his left wrist. (Also read: Thief returns stolen mandolins to US guitar shop, apologises in note saying ‘I was drunk’ )
The package arrived at Kame-kichi Nakano Honten, the store from which the watch was stolen, on the morning of November 1.
The package containing the wristwatch was sent from Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, according to Japanese newspaper The Mainichi .
A name and address were mentioned in the sender details. However, investigators suspect that the information was fabricated. The package also contained a handwritten note expressing an apology for the theft. After trying it on, he returned it to the employee. The man put the expensive watch on his left wrist and walked towards a mirror at the back of the store. He then appeared to pretend to sit on a nearby chair before suddenly making his way out of the shop. He fled without returning the watch. The suspect was dressed in a dark jacket and trousers and wore a hat. He spent approximately eight minutes inside the store. He reportedly fled towards the eastern side of the shopping complex, at one point going against the flow of people on an escalator.
The watch was reportedly returned without any noticeable damage. (Also read: Thief returns valuables stolen from temple with apology note in MP’s Balaghat ) According to the Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun , the theft took place at around 7:45 pm on October 29 at a watch store on the third floor of Nakano Broadway, a shopping complex in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward. He then asked to try on another timepiece, a Swiss-made Audemars Piguet worth approximately 46 million yen.
A man entered the store and asked an employee if he could try on a watch displayed there, according to investigators.
