Photo/Illutration The robbery scene in Tokyo’s Ginza district on May 8 recorded and posted on Twitter (Provided by a reader)

Four teenagers in police custody were arrested on suspicion of robbing a luxury watch store in Tokyo’s Ginza district in plain sight of passers-by last week, investigators said May 18.

They were earlier arrested on suspicion of trespassing in their apparent flight from the crime scene on May 8, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

The four suspects, who all reside in Yokohama, are: two unemployed 19-year-olds; an 18-year-old student at a private high school; and a 16-year-old.

One of the 19-year-olds has remained silent during questioning, while the other three have said “I don’t know” or “I can’t say anything,” according to police.

After their earlier arrests, the four had said they did not know each other.

But police, through outside interviews and other sources, found that one of the 19-year-olds who is believed to have played a leading role in the robbery was previously acquainted with the other suspect his age, as well as the 16-year-old.

Police believe they had coordinated their false story about not knowing each other.

Three masked robbers broke into Quark Ginza 888, a store specializing in Rolex watches, in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward around 6:20 p.m. on May 8.

They threatened a store clerk in his 30s with knives, saying, “Get down or we’ll kill you,” investigative sources said.

Videos taken by bystanders showed the bandits smashing display cases with crowbars, putting watches and other valuables into bags, and then fleeing the scene in a white getaway van.

The teenagers are suspected of conspiring to commit robbery and stealing 74 items, including watches, worth an estimated 308.6 million yen ($2.2 million).

All stolen items have been recovered, police have said.

(This article was written by Ryo Oyama and Shoko Mifune.)

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