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CCTV footage captured the moment a girl, believed to be 12-years old, calmly walked out of a mall with a $4.6 million diamond necklace she had just stolen in her pocket. Now the hunt is on for the pre-teen and three adults believed to be her accomplices.
The theft took place on Friday, January 23, at an Emperor Watch and Jewelry store in Hong Kong. Three adults distracted the store's staff by asking to look at expensive items.
Meanwhile the young girl, described as being between 12 and 14 years old and about 4 ½ feet tall, took a key from a drawer, unlocked the cabinet holding the 117-carat diamond necklace, slipped it into her pocket and walked out of the store unnoticed.
The three adults spent 30 minutes in the store before leaving without making a purchase.
"Initial investigations suggest the girl stole a key from a drawer and then opened a display cabinet to steal the necklace when the three adults - one man and two women - kept staff busy," a police source told the South China Morning Post. "The necklace was embedded with more than 30 diamonds totalling about 100 carats. We were told it was worth about $4.6 million. The three adults posed as big spenders and demanded employees show them jewelry in an apparent move to divert staff attention."
The police source added that it was the first time a child had been used in such a heist.
Workers at the store didn't notice the necklace was missing until two hours later. Police were called and EWJ has since hired extra security guards.
"Our first and foremost priority is to comply with the police investigation, but we still have to wait for the results to see what measures can be taken to strengthen the security level," a store spokesperson told CNN.
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