A robber nonchalantly sauntered up to a Swiss tourist, held him at gunpoint and released him from his watch in Naples last week – only for an accomplice to return it moments later after realizing it wasn’t as valuable as it was initially accepted.
Stunning video footage has emerged of the moment the criminal pointed his gun at the head of the Swiss holidaymaker dining at a restaurant in Piazza Trieste e Trento on July 17, forcing him to take off his watch.
The gangster grabbed the watch and immediately fled the scene. His victim scratched his head in shock and disbelief at the speed and audacity with which the crime was committed.
But minutes later, a second man, believed to be the robber’s accomplice, snuck into the victim’s table and handed the watch back to him.
Francesco Emilio Borrelli, a councilor for Italy’s Campania region, later revealed that the Swiss tourist told authorities the person who returned his watch apologized, saying they only stole it because they believed it was his watch a Richard Mille.
The luxury watchmaker is known for producing quality timepieces, with prices ranging from £20,000 to tens of millions.
When the thieves realized their mistake and verified that what they stole was in fact the product of a different, far less valuable brand, they decided to return it.
The luxury watchmaker is known for producing quality timepieces, with prices ranging from £20,000 to tens of millions (pictured is the RM 027 Tourbillon watch, which is one of the company’s lowest-spec offerings, selling for £22,000).
The criminal, dressed in a dark blue T-shirt, approaches the table and snatches the watch from the wrist of the Swiss tourist in the light-colored shirt. But one of his accomplices later returned the watch when they realized it wasn’t a very valuable Richard Mille
The man in blue quickly fled the scene while the tourist and his companion looked on in disbelief
Borrelli, who shared the incredible clip on social media, said: “It’s absurd because it took place a few meters from the Naples Prefecture, the San Carlo, the Royal Palace, the Army Headquarters and not far from the Palazzo San Giacomo and the police headquarters.«
He added, “The city must not be at the mercy of criminals and thugs.”
The Mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, meanwhile, criticized the level of security in the piazza: “The security issue must be addressed; on the one hand with the surveillance of the territory and with a better organization of the police, but also with measures for video surveillance.’
But he was also quick to point out that Naples, which has gained a reputation for petty crime against tourists, isn’t the only place where such robberies happen regularly.
“The robbery issue isn’t just Neapolitan — we see it in all big cities, even Milan,” he said.
“Urban security is one of the big priorities we have ahead of us and a lot of attention needs to be paid to the central government.”
Footage of the strange incident comes as Italian authorities say they have identified the criminals responsible for the theft of a real Richard Mille – from none other than brand ambassador and star Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari’s Monaco driver Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after winning the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix wearing his Richard Mille RM 67-02 bespoke watch
Leclerc models the new Richard Mille RM UP-01 FERRARI watch with a price tag of £1,570,000
The Monegasque was posing for selfies in Viareggio, Tuscany, ahead of this year’s Emilio-Romagna Grand Prix in April when three people dressed as fans managed to distract him while one of them took off his watch.
This time the watch was very genuine – so much so that the thieves, who were said to be based in Naples, had difficulty selling it due to its exclusivity.
Leclerc’s Richard Mille RM 67-02 was a custom design given as a gift to the Ferrari star, with his signature emblazoned on the case of the watch.
A similar watch, without the personalization, was recently auctioned for €2.1 million.
The Swiss watchmaker has long been a sponsorship partner of Ferrari and Leclerc has modeled a number of their products.
Italian police have identified those involved in the theft, according to Italian newspapers Corriere Del Mezzogiorno and Il Mattino, after the watch surfaced in Naples after it had been sold for just €200,000 – less than a tenth of its declared value.