A failed robbery attempt occurred at the VIPStation Jewelry shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, where five South Asian men were apprehended in a dramatic hold-up.
According to police reports, two of the suspects are believed to be illegal immigrants, while two hold temporary ID cards, and one possesses a Hong Kong ID card. The arrested suspects, aged between 22 and 35, arrived at the jewelry shop on Haiphong Road at 11:55 am in a white vehicle. Three of them were wielding hammers, while two were armed with knives as they forcefully entered the shop.
Despite causing damage to two display cases, the perpetrators were unsuccessful in obtaining any valuables. During the arrest, one suspect resisted fiercely, prompting officers to draw their service revolver as a warning. The suspect sustained minor facial injuries but was subdued successfully. Police seized hammers, beef knives, and a distinctive red-white-blue bag at the crime scene. The area surrounding Hankow Road and Haiphong Road was cordoned off as part of the ongoing investigation.
Minimal loss was credited to the proactive efforts of the police’s surveillance support unit, which had received prior intelligence and had been tailing the robbers.
Shopkeepers in the vicinity expressed concerns about the repeated incidents of robberies in the area. Witness accounts detailed the swift response of plain-clothed officers, with three robbers already subdued on the floor upon inspection.
This foiled robbery marks the third incident at VIPStation Jewelry in the past six years. In July 2018, robbers armed with a machete, an extendable baton, and a hammer stole luxury watches worth HK$23.1 million. The perpetrators were arrested and subsequently sentenced to jail terms ranging from two years and nine months to eight years for robbery, arson, and handling stolen goods.
Another robbery occurred on August 18, 2022, when a man posing as a customer seized three Rolex watches worth about HK$940,000. The suspect, along with an accomplice waiting in a private car, fled the scene swiftly and remains at large, leaving the case unresolved.
