An employee of a jewelry wholesaler reported that 180 million yen in gems were stolen from his car Wednesday night in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward while he was fixing a flat tire, police said Thursday.
The employee of Mizobata Gem pulled into a parking lot in the Minami-Senju district to fix the flat at around 8 p.m. while returning to the office from a business appointment, police said.
After repairing the tire, he noticed about 30 minutes later that two bags containing gems worth 180 million yen were missing from the back seat, they said. The doors were unlocked, and police believe more than one person was involved in the theft because each bag weighed about 25 kg and was taken in a short time, they said.
The parking lot is located near Minowabashi Station on the Arakawa Line in an area crowded with banks and pachinko parlors. The area has witnessed a spate of robberies since earlier this year.