Ginza Shop Robbers Allegedly Made Off With 70 Rolex Watches Worth ¥250 million

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:13 JST, May 11, 2023

Rolex watches with a total value of around ¥250 million were stolen by robbers who broke into a specialty store in the Ginza district of Chuo Ward, Tokyo, on Monday, according to investigative sources.

The Metropolitan Police Department believes that almost all the watches stolen from Quark Ginza 888 have been recovered, as a total of about 70 watches were found inside the rented van used for their robbery, as well as at another location.

According to the sources, the rented car was found abandoned soon after Monday’s robbery at a location in Akasaka, Minato Ward, about three kilometers away from the Ginza shop.

The MPD’s examinations of the vehicle found that the license plate had been replaced with one that belonged to a vehicle stolen in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture. Police recovered about 40 watches from inside the van.

On Monday evening, the MPD arrested four teenagers aged between 16 and 19 on suspicion of breaking into a condominium in Akasaka. A bag containing about 30 watches was also found in an area of shrubbery near where the vehicle was abandoned.

Three of the robbers allegedly wore white masks on their face during the incident. While grabbing the watches, one member of the group allegedly said to his accomplices: “We can get more as we still have 30 seconds left. No problem.” The MPD believes that the robbery’s timing was planned in advance.