Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of handmade jewellery was stolen during an armed robbery in Remuera this morning.
A man wearing a balaclava, who demanded she fill his bag with hand-made jewellery and cash, held a woman at gunpoint at about 9.30.
Early estimates are that the jewellery – all stamped with the letters "JLG" – could be worth more than $200,000. A reasonable amount of cash was also stolen during the hold-up.
The woman was made to sit down and had her hands bound by tape to a piece of equipment in the family-owned jewellery manufacturing business before the offender left the building on Bassett Rd at about 9.40am.
Police would like to hear from anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious or unusual in the area this morning.
The offender is described as possibly dark-skinned, about 175 cm tall, average build with an uneducated accent or dialect. He was wearing a balaclava, a blue sweatshirt, faded blue jeans and sport shoes and was carrying a black back-pack.
The woman was found by a member of her family up to an hour after the event and they immediately called Police.
ENDS
Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager
Ph 09 302 6947 or 0274-951-589
Website: www.police.govt.nz