Hong Kong Tween Swipes $4 Million in Jewels

Thieves in Hong Kong stole a necklace worth HK$36 million ($4 million) in an audacious daylight jewel heist on Friday, SCMP reports. Police described the plot as “very well planned.”

A well dressed man, two women, and a young girl entered Emperor Jewelry at the 1881 Heritage Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui at 3 pm. While the adults occupied the staff by requesting to try on different pieces of jewelry, the girl managed to retrieve a key to the glass display case from a drawer and steal a gold and diamond necklace. The girl is believed to be 12–14 years old.

According to police, CCTV footage showed the girl quickly changing her appearance before escaping in a taxi. The other perpetrators reportedly remained in the mall for up to 40 minutes after the theft.

In a statement police said: “The necklace was embedded with more than 30 diamonds totaling about 100 carats. We were told it was worth about HK$36 million ($4 million). The three adults posed as big spenders and demanded employees show them jewelry in an apparent move to divert staff attention.”

Police added that it was the first time in several years that a child has been used in such a crime. “Initial investigations suggest the girl stole a key from a drawer and then opened a display cabinet to steal the necklace when the three adults, one man and two women, kept staff busy,” according to their statement.

The suspects are still at large and are being tracked by Hong Kong police. Border officials have been alerted in an attempt to prevent the criminals from fleeing.