Robbers on a motorbike used a sledgehammer to rob a jewellers in Thames Ditton High Street on Friday, February 5.
The smash-and-grab raid took place at about 11am, when two men on a black scramble type 125cc bike, wearing balaclavas, stopped outside Assimi jewellers and used the sledgehammer to smash the shop’s front window.
They removed a number of items of jewellery, before leaving the hammer outside the shop and speeding towards Thames Ditton station.
The men eventually abandoned the motorbike in the area of Ash Path and Basing Way.
The owner of the shop, Bernard Leon, was not injured in the incident.
One source said a number of suspicious-looking men had been spotted in the area in the days leading up to the robbery and, luckily for the police, two suspects were seen by shoppers putting on their balaclavas next to the garages behind Hype hairdressers.
The first was white, 5ft 10in, about 19-years-old and of slim build. He had short light brown hair and was wearing a grey hooded top with the hood up.
The other man was in his mid-20s, 5ft 10in, was slim and had dark brown hair.
The motorbike had gold and silver front suspension forks and white writing on the seat. The registration number was GN08NWV.
One man has been arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries.
Surrey Police are appealing for witnesses who either saw the raid or the dumping of the motorbike to come forward.
They also want to speak to anyone who might know the pair or how they managed escape after dumping the motorbike.
It is the third time the jewellers has been targeted by thieves in recent years, including an incident during the Christmas period in 2008, when a gang armed with a hand gun attempted to rob the shop.
Surrey Police said they were keeping an open mind as to connections between the robbery on Friday and three similar raids just before Christmas on jewellers in Cobham, Surbiton and New Malden.
The robbers involved in the Cobham and Surbiton incidents also used a sledgehammer to break the glass windows of the shops and steal the jewellery.
Anyone with information should contact Surrey Police on 0845 1252222 and ask for Detective Constable Gamble or Detective Sergeant Seear. Alternatively witnesses can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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