Thief runs off with teacup worth R1,2 million

In a heist straight out of a blockbuster movie, a Tokyo department store was left in shock after discovering that a golden teacup, valued at a whopping 10 million yen (about $65,000), had vanished from its display.

The 24-carat gold masterpiece disappeared from an unlocked box at a Takashimaya outlet, amidst an exhibition flaunting an assortment of glitzy gold items.

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A Takashimaya spokesperson revealed that the stolen teacup was the crown jewel among a collection of over 1,000 gleaming tea and tableware pieces.

The teacup was created by Koichi Ishikawa, a renowned goldsmith. His craftsmanship won him the esteemed Tokyo Governor’s Award in 1988.

An employee from the store discovered the theft and reported it to the police on Thursday afternoon.

Security footage captured the audacious thief casually slipping the cup into his bag before making a swift getaway, leaving authorities scrambling to track down the culprit.

According to the police the suspect appears to be a man in his 20s or 30s, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and black pants with a grey backpack.

The exhibition also features a traditional Japanese screen valued at over R12 million and a golden dragon figure decorated with a round, 3 000-fold leaf piece valued at R4,6 million, reports The Independent.

Despite security being present, the store said no one noticed the theft until around 20 minutes after the theft took place.

Despite the setback, the show must go on, albeit with beefed-up security measures, according to the store spokesperson.

In December, Takashimaya had to apologise for delivering almost 1 000 collapsed Christmas cakes. The cakes arrived damaged, sparking an immediate social media backlash.

Senior managing director, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, held a news conference in Tokyo and bowed deeply to customers to show his remorse on behalf of the store.