Hong Kong police hunt gang behind HK$8 million watch heist in bustling shopping district
- Three robbers burst into Legend Success Timepiece store in Causeway Bay and made off with about 30 watches, while fourth person acted as getaway driver
- One of the robbers is armed with knife, while the other two are carrying sledgehammer and bag, respectively, video shows
Hong Kong police have launched a manhunt for a gang of smash-and-grab robbers who made off with watches worth as much as HK$8 million (US$1 million) in a raid at a store in a top shopping district on Wednesday.
Police said initial investigations suggested three robbers raided the shop and grabbed about 30 high-value timepieces, with a fourth member of the gang acting as a getaway driver.
“Two of the robbers were carrying a knife and a sledgehammer when they entered the store,” a spokesman said. “They snatched about 30 watches, ran out of the shop and fled in a getaway car.”
A video posted online shows three black-clad men, all wearing gloves, striking when a woman customer enters the shop.
One knife-wielding robber grabs the woman from behind and throws her out of the shop, the footage shows. The woman then falls on the pavement before the other two robbers, who are carrying a sledgehammer and bag, respectively, rush into the store.
The footage also shows one robber using a sledgehammer to smash glass counters while the other grabs watches and stuffs them into his bag before they escape.
The spokesman said the gang fled in a getaway green car driven by a fourth suspect.
A source familiar with the case said the woman in the video was not located at the scene.
Chief Inspector Lo Ka-chun of the Hong Kong Island regional crime unit said about 30 watches, worth between HK$6 million and HK$8 million, were stolen in the incident, adding their exact value was yet to be confirmed.
He appealed to witnesses and anyone with information to contact police on 2860 7834 or 9886 0043.
Hong Kong police arrest 1 of 2 suspects over HK$250,000 hold-up, find stolen car
The robbery happened just after 2pm at the Legend Success Timepiece store on Causeway Bay’s Foo Ming Street.
Only one employee, a man, was in the shop when the hold-up happened and no one was injured.
Police said three of the group wore face masks during the raid and that the search for the men continued.
On December 12, five smash-and-grab robbers made off with luxury watches valued at HK$39 million in a 37-second raid on Alpha Watch and Jewellery on Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was the fourth watch store targeted by robbers in Tsim Sha Tsui last year.
On September 11, three thieves stormed the VIP Station store on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, broke the glass of the display counters and fled with HK$3.7 million worth of watches. They escaped in a getaway car driven by a fourth suspect.
Police arrested at least five suspects, including a 10-year-old boy, in connection with the robbery and recovered all the stolen watches.
Last year, police handled 97 robberies, a 26 per cent increase compared with the 77 cases logged in 2022.
