BEIJING: A Malaysian was detained by Chinese police for suspected robbery at a luxury watch store here on Monday.
“We have received information from the Chinese police that the suspect is a Malaysian,” Tan Beng Yeow, a counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Beijing told Bernama on Tuesday.
Beijing police on its Weibo official account confirmed that the 38-year-old suspect was detained for robbery.
Tan said the embassy would contact the suspect’s family and cooperate fully with the authorities.
Local media reported that the man, who wore a mask and armed with a black toy gun, had allegedly robbed 11 watches worth more than RM1.7mil on Monday evening at a Cartier store in Wang Fujing.
It was reported that the man was arrested within 22 minutes. -- BERNAMA
Knife-Wielding Watch Thief Robs Cartier Store in Wangfujing, Caught After Chase
A masked robber stole 11 watches from a Cartier store in Wangfujing Monday, ran away from store clerks, and making a getaway by taxi and on foot before finally being apprehended by Beijing police, the Beijing Newsreported.
The incident began around 7pm Monday evening at Macau Center in Wangfujing, when the assailant, wearing a mask (it is unclear whether this was a Richard Nixon Halloween-style mask or a balaclava) entered the store brandishing a knife. Only a single female salesperson was in the store, with the other staff eating dinner. The suspect, whose name was not given, taped the sales clerk's hands together, and then helped himself to 11 watches with an estimated value of RMB 3 million, Beijing Newsreported.
As the suspect exited the store, two Cartier salespeople spotted him and gave chase. Although an English-language account of the robbery states he pulled out a gun and fired two shots, the Beijing News reportmakes no mention of this, and says that the gun found on the suspect was a plastic toy.
Emerging onto the street, the suspect tried to steal a Jinbei van, but was unable to start it. He then jumped into a taxi, with the driver, according to Beijing News, telling him to calm down. After driving only 80 meters, the robber told the driver to stop, where he jumped out and continued to run.
The suspect was finally arrested by about 50 police on Jinbao Jie, about two kilometers from the site of the robbery. All 11 watches were recovered and the suspect was taken into custody, the report said.
Photo: Beijing News
