Just days after the Richmond News reported the bizarre story of a man having had his Rolex watch stolen right off his wrist, a second man has come forward with a remarkably similar story.
Liang Sie, 81, contacted the News after coming across the News' report of Changqing Yu's incident.
Yu claimed he was walking through a parking lot on No. 3 Road last week when a couple in a vehicle called out to him. Yu walked toward the couple to talk to them, but when he approached the woman in the passenger seat, she grabbed his arm and tried to put a necklace in his hand. The next thing he knew, his luxury watch had been slipped off his wrist and the couple sped away.
Although Yu’s experience sounds bizarre, what happened to him may not have been an isolated incident.
'She just slipped my watch off my hand. It happened so fast.'
Sie said last month, he was walking near his home on Ryan Road, also near No. 3 Road, when an SUV drove up to him.
“A couple was asking me how to get to the hospital. So I moved close to their car to give them directions,” said Sie, recalling that the man was in the driver’s seat while the woman was sitting in the back with a little boy next to her.
“After giving the directions, the woman pulled out a black plastic bag showing me rings and necklaces. I told them, ‘I didn’t want any of them.’ Then the lady suddenly asked me, ‘What time is it?’ I looked at my watch, and she just slipped my watch off my hand. It happened so fast. And they drove away immediately before I realized what happened.”
Sie said the stolen Rolex GMT-Master watch, known for its robustness and ability to display the time in two different time zones simultaneously, wasn’t actually worth a lot of money, but meant a lot to him.
“I got it in 1974 when I was visiting Singapore. I travelled through the whole city and picked this one from a watch dealer store.”
Sie, who immigrated from Indonesia to Canada 40 years ago, said he still can’t get over the fear that this incident happened to him.
“I had been in Canada for more than forty years, and nothing like this ever happened to me.”
Sie said he reported it to the police following the robbery and the News has reached out to the RCMP for further details.
The Richmond RCMP confirmed that they have received reports of two robberies where distraction techniques were employed to allegedly steal high-end watches.
The incidents are under investigation by Richmond Mounties.
“Unfortunately, we have seen these types of distraction-style robberies before. We have previously issued public warnings and general safety messages but clearly the suspects know how to draw in unsuspecting victims,” said Corporal Adriana O’Malley, Richmond RCMP Media Relations Officer.
“We want to remind the public to be wary of people who approach you and try to offer you items, such as jewelry, as they may be trying to focus your attention on something else while they steal your belongings.
“We recommend that if someone approaches you or calls you over to their vehicle to maintain a safe distance from them, not take anything they are offering, walk away to get yourself to a safe place and report the incident to police.”
Anyone who may have witnessed or has information about the suspect or incident, is asked to call Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.solvecrime.ca.
