Man asked to try on jewellery at Queen Street pawnshop, then walked out with $12k worth of items

A 21-year-old man was arrested for theft after he allegedly stole more than $12,000 worth of jewellery from a a pawnshop along Queen Street.

The police said they were alerted to the case of theft on Saturday (Nov 4), at around 1.50pm.

They added: "Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had asked to try on a few pieces of jewellery including a ring and a gold chain.

"The staff from the pawnshop gave chase to the man when he allegedly walked out of the pawnshop with the unpaid jewellery, but lost sight of him."

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from the Central Police Division established the man's identity and arrested him within eight hours.

The stolen gold chain and gold ring were recovered and seized as case exhibits.

The man will be charged in court on Monday with the offence of theft in dwelling, which carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.

The police said they will not tolerate such brazen acts of crime and will spare no effort to apprehend such offenders and deal with them in accordance with the law.

Retailers are urged to remain vigilant against shop thieves and adopt the following measures:

1. Ensure a good line of sight for the displays by using an appropriate shop layout

2. Display advisory posters or signage against shop theft;

3. Display expensive merchandise in locked showcases or at prominent locations (e.g., near cashier counters);

4. Install CCTVs with recording system at the entrance/exit of the store to capture the facial features of patrons; and e. Deploy adequate security personnel to patrol the premises in luminous vests for increased visual deterrence effect.