Kid in School Uniform Ditches Class, Steals $472,000 Luxury Watch From a Store Instead: Cops

Wearing his school uniform, a 10-year-old boy allegedly ditched class to help a group of thieves smash open jewelry displays in a Hong Kong watch shop and snag 20 luxury timepieces with a total worth of $472,000, authorities say.

The student and another 14-year-old boy were arrested Wednesday in connection to the heist at the high-end shop in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, The Standard, an English language newspaper in Hong Kong, reported. Two other suspects, ages 19 and 17, were arrested soon after the alleged theft on Monday.

Authorities say the alleged robbers, armed with knives and a hammer, were able to snatch the watches and flee the shop within 30 seconds, according to the outlet.

The suspects allegedly wore caps and surgical masks to conceal their identities inside the VIP Station store, the South China Morning Post reported.

One of the alleged thieves used a sledgehammer to smash open the glass displays, while the 10-year-old boy grabbed the goods, according to the Post.

"They took away 20 watches, which are worth HK$3.7 million, and left a knife and a hammer at the scene, before fleeing in a vehicle outfitted with a fake license plate," Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said.

Police believed the suspects fled to Kowloon Park and an hour later, they made their first arrest, Chung said. Authorities also discovered a backpack in the woods with all 20 of the stolen watches, he said.

According to the Standard, the boy was allegedly offered $5,000 in Hong Kong currency – or about $638 U.S. – to leave class and take part in the robbery.

He and two other suspects are believed to be Pakistani immigrants who hold Hong Kong identity cards, the newspaper reported. The 14-year-old boy, who was also wearing a school uniform during the alleged theft, was identified as an Indian student, according to the Standard.

The incident was the third watch shop burglary in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui area in six months, the newspaper reported.