Man in Japan returns $290,000 watch he stole with an apology letter

An unusual theft occurred in Tokyo, Japan. A man who ran off with a luxury watch from a store returned it via mail three days later along with an apology letter. However, this did not save him from legal consequences.

It is reported that on October 29, a man entered a watch store in the Nakano Broadway shopping complex in Tokyo and asked to try on an Audemars Piguet watch worth 46 million yen (approximately $290,000). Once the watch was on his wrist, he fled the store.

Three days later, on November 1, a package arrived at the store via courier. Inside was the stolen watch and a handwritten apology letter. Store employees checked the serial number and confirmed it was the same watch.

On November 11, police arrested a 30-year-old man in Nagoya suspected of involvement in the incident. He confessed to stealing the watch.

The suspect claimed that when he put the watch on and looked at his reflection in the mirror, he liked it so much that he didn't even realize how he had walked out of the store wearing it. Later, he stated that he realized the watch did not belong to him and decided to return it to its owner.