Watches found in Tokyo store robbery getaway vehicle

Three people entered a shop in Ginza district with their faces covered and armed with crowbars which they used to destroy glass cases and snatch more than 30 items worth about 100 million yen. (Screen capture)

A Boston bag containing around 30 to 40 wristwatches has been found inside a getaway vehicle used in the robbery of a Rolex specialty store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district earlier this week, investigative sources said Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department is confirming whether they are part of the 100 watches believed to have been stolen from Quark Ginza 888 at around 6.15pm on Monday. Around 30 other watches have already been found in a black bag near the minivan, which was apparently used to flee the crime scene.

Four teenage boys from Yokohama, near Tokyo, were arrested near the minivan on the same day for allegedly trespassing in an apartment building in Tokyo's Minato Ward, with the police investigating their possible involvement in the robbery.

Eyewitness footage shows three masked individuals carrying what appear to be crowbars, which they use to smash display cases before putting the luxury watches in black bags and fleeing in a waiting minivan.