TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are hunting for two men who executed a brazen daytime heist at a luxury watch store in Nakano Ward, making off with 200 million yen worth of timepieces before escaping on an electric scooter, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 25).
The incident occurred just before noon on Tuesday at a at Nakano Broadway first-floor shop specializing in high-end brands such as Rolex.
According to police, the two suspects barged into the store and immediately used a hammer to smash a glass display case near the entrance. In a lightning-fast operation lasting just 10 seconds, the pair snatched four luxury watches valued at approximately 200 million yen.
Mecca for subculture
Five staff members were inside the store at the time, though no customers were present. No injuries were reported.
Responding officers found the store floor littered with shattered glass and recovered the hammer, which the perpetrators abandoned at the scene.
The brazen theft shocked the bustling shopping complex, which is famously known as a mecca for both subculture and luxury watches.
Chaotic scene
Witnesses described a chaotic scene. “I heard a loud smashing sound, and when I wondered what happened, I saw two men running away,” one bystander recalled. “The first one sprinted off immediately, and the second was fleeing with a black backpack worn on his front.”
Police say the duo fled westward through a connecting corridor. Outside the complex, the getaway took a modern twist. Another witness reported seeing one of the suspects leap onto an electric kickboard to make his escape, while his accomplice fled on foot.
Investigators have since located an abandoned electric kickboard believed to have been used in the getaway and are currently analyzing it for evidence as the manhunt continues.
Black clothing
According to police, one member of the pair fled northward on an electric kick scooter, while the other ran off toward the south.
Additionally, inquiries with investigative sources revealed that an abandoned electric kick scooter was found on a pedestrian path approximately 350 meters from Nakano Broadway, though any connection to the incident remains unconfirmed.
Both individuals are described as being in their twenties and standing approximately 170 centimeters tall; they were wearing gray or black clothing and black face masks.
