A group of five or more burglars took just 80 seconds to snatch about HK$2 million (US$257,866) worth of handbags and watches in an early-morning raid on a Chanel Hong Kong store in Causeway Bay.
Police were called to the Lee Garden One store on Hysan Avenue about 4.30am yesterday after security guards found that a glass door had been smashed. Officers found the luxury boutique ransacked, its shelves emptied.
Police say CCTV footage shows the raid took about 80 seconds.
“Initial investigations showed four masked robbers used a sledgehammer to shatter the glass door of the shop before smashing open display cabinets and snatching valuables,” says a spokesman. “They operated quickly. They were in and out in one or two minutes.”
It is believed the gang fled in a getaway vehicle driven by a fifth person.
Police say the four burglars who broke into the shop were males of medium build, probably between 25 and 30 years of age. They were wearing masks and black or white gloves.
Officers of the Hong Kong Island Regional Crime Unit have taken over the investigation and are gathering surveillance videos in an effort to identify the robbers and their escape route.
A gang of smash-and-grab thieves last month took advantage of deserted streets during Typhoon Nida to steal dozens of jade pieces from a Percival reet store in Causeway Bay in a pre-dawn raid. Police are investigating whether the two cases are linked.
In January, a smash-and-grab gang of five made off with more than HK$2 million worth of handbags from a store in a Tsuen Wan shopping mall. Police said they mainly targeted Hermes bags.