An unusual theft has left Tokyo police with a mystery: A luxury watch worth approximately $292,000, stolen from a store in the Japanese capital last week, was returned to its owner three days later through a delivery service, accompanied by a handwritten apology.
Despite the return of the expensive timepiece, police are still searching for the suspect, whose identity remains unknown.
According to a report published Monday by "The Japan Times," the incident occurred Thursday at approximately 8 p.m. local time at the Kamekichi luxury watch retailer on the third floor of the Nakano Broadway shopping complex in Tokyo's Nakano district.
A man entered the store and asked to try on a watch made by Swiss luxury brand Audemars Piguet, valued at approximately 46 million yen ($292,000). Instead of returning the watch to the employees, however, he fled the store with it still on his wrist. Two employees were present during the theft, but neither was injured.
Eight minutes in the store, then a dramatic escape
According to Japanese broadcaster TBS, the entire theft took only a few minutes. The suspect spent approximately eight minutes inside the store before placing the watch on his left wrist and suddenly running away.
He fled from the third floor of the shopping complex to the basement level, jumping between escalators as he made his way toward an exit.
One eyewitness who was inside the complex at the time said he saw store employees chasing the man and shouting "Thief!" to alert passersby. Security cameras in the surrounding area subsequently captured footage of the suspect running along the street.
Three days later, on Sunday morning, employees at the store received an unexpected delivery.
Kamekichi luxury watch retailer in Tokyo's Nakano district
(Photo: Kamekichi)
Inside a cardboard box sent by courier was the stolen watch, accompanied by a handwritten note of apology. Employees checked the timepiece's serial number and confirmed that it was the same watch taken from the store days earlier.
According to Japanese television reports, the note contained a brief apology along the lines of "I'm sorry." The watch appeared to have been returned without any obvious signs of damage.
Package sent from hundreds of kilometers away
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the package was shipped from Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, hundreds of kilometers from Tokyo.
Although the shipment included a sender's name and address, investigators believe the information may have been fabricated. Police are now working to determine who sent the package and whether that person is also the individual who fled the store with the watch. The suspect remains at large.
The theft took place at Nakano Broadway, one of Tokyo's best-known shopping destinations for collectors. Alongside stores specializing in manga, anime and Japanese pop culture merchandise, the complex houses numerous retailers selling high-end watches.
The shopping center attracts collectors and tourists searching for rare items, including luxury timepieces from some of the world's most prestigious watchmakers.
Another major watch theft at the same shopping center
The incident is not the first major luxury watch theft at Nakano Broadway in recent months. In August, four watches worth a combined 200 million yen (about $1.3 million), were stolen from another store on the complex's first floor.
Two Chilean nationals were subsequently arrested in connection with that theft and later indicted on suspicion of involvement.
In the latest case, however, investigators face a different challenge: The stolen watch has been recovered, but the person who took it remains unidentified, leaving police to determine why an apparent thief would return such a valuable item with nothing more than a handwritten apology.