Hong Kong police hunt schoolgirl over $4.6m diamond heist

Hong Kong police say they are hunting a girl aged between 12 and 14 years old over the theft of a diamond necklace worth more than HK$36 million (US$4.6 million) from a luxury jewellery store. Police say she helped carry out the audacious theft with two women and a man, all aged between 30 and 40. The necklace was 100-carat gold embedded with more than 30 diamonds, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said, and police confirmed it was worth HK$36 million.

The three adults posed as big spenders and demanded employees show them jewellery in an apparent move to divert staff attention.

An unnamed police source quoted by the South China Morning Post

The young girl managed to steal a key from a drawer to open a cabinet while staff were distracted, the SCMP said, citing an unnamed police source. The girl was caught on CCTV as she left the mall, the SCMP said, showing a picture of a girl dressed in black trousers, a blue shirt and a grey hooded top. The gang spent around half an hour in the shop and staff did not notice the necklace was missing until later in the day, the SCMP added.

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