It was Sunday at 4.30 pm that the American couple was exposed to the naughty robbery. After a guided tour in Stockholm city, they were released outside the Grand Hotel. In connection with that, two men came forward and wondered if the man in the company could take a picture of them.
- When the man returns the phone, the perpetrator grabs his arm, locks it against the body and wears the watch, says Daniel Horner, chief of the local police area Norrmalm, and who is responsible for a special action against theft in Stockholm city.
- At the same time, the other perpetrator stands in front of the wife and hides so that she does not see what is happening, he continues.
The watch, which is worth $ 250,000, is described as unique as it is only available in a few copies in the world.
How do you know that the clock really existed?
- There is both a receipt and a certificate on it.
Clocks - means of payment in criminal circles- It will be difficult for the perpetrators to sell the watch in Sweden. But our image is that expensive watches are shipped abroad, we rarely find them in Sweden.
Following a series of reports of theft, the Stockholm Police launched a special operation at the beginning of the summer. And the number of registrations has increased. In 2018, 78 completed watch robberies took place in Stockholm city, so far this year the number is up to 84.
According to the police, clock robbery is an easy way to get over money, often more perpetrators are committing the crimes.
Victims are mapped via social media- Exclusive watches are used as means of payment in criminal circles. You exchange watches with each other instead of money in drug dealing. It is easier to move a clock between countries than a bag of money, says Daniel Horner, of the Stockholm Police.
How do the perpetrators find their victims?
- In the past, people were robbed of sales. But now the perpetrators are mapping watch owners via social media or in the pub environment. Then you meet the victim in their staircase and rob them.
The American couple was allowed to travel home without a clock, the police have launched a preliminary investigation of robbery, but the hope of finding the clock in Stockholm is low.