A thief who broke into an unlocked car in China and stole a luxury watch was left stunned after discovering that the timepiece he thought was fake was actually worth 470,000 yuan (approximately RM270,000).
The incident happened in Zhili, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, where police from the Zhibei Police Station recently solved a vehicle break-in case involving the theft of a branded watch.
According to Huzhou police, officers received a report from a man identified by his surname, Zhang, on the night of the incident. He told them that his watch had gone missing from inside his car.
Police immediately visited the scene to investigate and used the “Smart 110” application to coordinate their response.
After analysing the available information, investigators identified a suspect, surnamed Sun.
Police found that Sun had gone around a car park in the early hours of the morning, pulling at vehicle door handles to check whether any cars had been left unlocked.
When he discovered that Zhang’s vehicle was unsecured, he allegedly entered the car, stole the watch and quickly fled.
Officers launched a manhunt and successfully arrested Sun later that evening, recovering the stolen timepiece.
However, it was only after his arrest that Sun realised the true value of what he had taken.
During questioning, he reportedly claimed that he believed the watch was counterfeit and practically worthless. He assumed that even if he were caught, the punishment would be minor.
Police then informed him that an assessment had placed the watch’s second-hand value at 470,000 yuan.
Sun was reportedly stunned and repeatedly exclaimed: “I’m finished! This time, I’m finished!”
During interrogation, he admitted to stealing valuables from vehicles by checking whether their doors had been left unlocked.
Sun has since been placed under criminal detention, while police continue investigating the case.
