A 10-year-old boy has been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with a HK$3.7 million (S$642,906) watch store robbery.
He is believed to be one of three armed robbers involved in the smash-and-grab at a "VIP Station" watch store, located in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui district, on Sep. 11 (Monday), reported South China Morning Post.
The raid
The robbers rushed into the watch store at about 3:40pm.
They then threatened the staff with knives, and one of the robbers used a sledgehammer to smash display counters containing the watches.
The trio seized 20 luxury watches worth about HK$3.7 million (S$642,906) in total.
They then escaped in a seven-seater Toyota vehicle, which was driven by a fourth suspect.
Apparently joined heist in school uniform
A source familiar with the case told SCMP that the boy was allegedly paid HK$5,000 (about S$870) to skip class on that day, and participate in the robbery.
On the day, the boy, who is about 1.7 metres tall, reportedly wore a jacket over his school uniform.
During the raid, he allegedly carried a knife and grabbed luxury watches from damaged counters.
SCMP also reported that the boy had come over to Hong Kong from Pakistan to join his parents in 2018.
He was arrested by police officers when he left school on Sep. 12 (Tuesday) evening.
Three others arrested
Three other suspects have been nabbed in connection to the case, The Standard, a Hong Kong-based newspaper reported.
On the day of the heist (Sep. 11), police detained a 19-year-old Pakistani man near Kowloon Peak.
The stolen watches were recovered from a backpack in the bushes nearby.
And on Sep. 12 (Wednesday), local police arrested another suspect, a 14-year-old Indian boy, during a raid in a guest house in Yuen Long.
He is believed to be a Form 1 (Lower Secondary) student studying in Kowloon.
On Sep. 11, police also arrested a 17-year-old Pakistani student, who is said to be the brother of one of the suspects. The police detained this 17-year-old on suspicion of misleading the police force.
His older brother is believed to be the driver of the getaway car used in the heist. The police are still hunting the driver as of Sep. 13, SCMP reported.
Police have also found the car that was believed to have been used in the robbery.
The car was found in Kowloon Bay. A knife and two hammers were recovered from the vehicle.
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