Stolen watch worth P18M returned to Japan store with sorry note

The theft occurred when a man posing as a customer tried on the Audemars Piguet timepiece and then fled the shop in the Japanese capital while it was still on his wrist.

But the case took a twist when the store received a package containing the watch – and a handwritten note saying sorry, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media reported on Monday, citing unnamed investigative sources.

The watch's serial number reportedly identified it as the stolen item.

The shop declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Tokyo police are still searching for the man on suspicion of theft, according to the Asahi.

In August, four luxury watches worth 200 million yen ($1.3 million) were stolen from another store in the same shopping complex.