Stolen Rs 2.7 Crore Audemars Piguet Watch Mysteriously Returns In Tokyo With An Apology Note

A luxury watch worth Rs 2.7 crore was stolen from a Tokyo store by a man posing as a customer. He fled after trying it on. Days later, the undamaged timepiece was unexpectedly returned to the shop via courier, accompanied by a handwritten apology note.

An unusual twist in a luxury watch theft case in Japan has caught attention online after a stolen Audemars Piguet wristwatch worth approximately Rs 2.7 crore was returned to the same Tokyo store with a handwritten apology note. The expensive timepiece, which was taken by a man posing as a customer, was delivered back through a courier service, leaving investigators with more questions about the mysterious return.

The incident took place on October 29 at Kame-kichi Nakano Honten, a watch store located on the third floor of the Nakano Broadway shopping complex in Tokyo's Nakano Ward. According to reports, a man entered the shop and asked an employee if he could try on a luxury watch.

After returning the first watch, he requested to see another timepiece, a Swiss-made Audemars Piguet valued at approximately 46 million yen. Once the employee placed the watch on his wrist, the man walked towards a mirror at the back of the store. He then pretended to sit on a nearby chair before suddenly escaping with the watch still on his left wrist.

The suspect reportedly spent around eight minutes inside the shop. He was wearing a dark jacket, trousers and a hat when he fled. Two employees were present during the incident, but neither was injured.

However, the case took an unexpected turn on November 1, when a courier package arrived at the store. It contained the stolen watch and a handwritten note expressing an apology for the theft. Staff members checked the serial number and confirmed that it was the same timepiece that had disappeared days earlier. The watch was reportedly returned without any noticeable damage.

The package had been sent from Aichi Prefecture. Although the sender's name and address were mentioned, investigators suspect that the details were fabricated.

Despite recovering the expensive watch, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department continues to search for the suspect and investigate who sent the package back. The store has declined to comment on the incident.

The mysterious return has added an unexpected chapter to what initially appeared to be a straightforward luxury watch theft.