A watch dealer has been found dead 24 hours after two robbers put him in a chokehold and robbed his London jewelry store.
Two unarmed thieves entered a dealership in the affluent Richmond area of west London on Saturday afternoon and attacked a staff member before stealing a number of valuable watches.
Police have now confirmed that the victim, from Surrey, has died and his next of kin have been informed.
a Police met spokesman said: 'We are aware of the death of a man in Surrey on Sunday 26 May. This is being investigated by officers from Surrey Police and is not being treated as suspicious at this time.
'The deceased man was the victim of a robbery at a jewelery store in Richmond on Saturday 25 May.
This is the shocking moment two men put a watch dealer in a chokehold in his London shop before robbing him
In the incident, which took place at around 2.50pm on Saturday at a dealership in the affluent Richmond area of west London, the pair made off with a large haul of watches.
'We ask that the privacy of his family is respected at this difficult time and that moving CCTV footage of the incident involving the victim is not shared on social media.'
During the incident, which took place around 2.50pm on Saturday, the pair made off with a large loot of watches.
In the attack, the two men are initially seen on the other side of the desk, across from the victim, who appears to be repairing a white watch for them.
One man, wearing a gray hoodie and ripped jeans, sits down on a bright orange chair while the dealer works.
The other, wearing blue jeans, a blue and white T-shirt and sunglasses on his head, stands leaning over the desk while the victim is distracted by the clock.
The man standing up then suddenly grabs the dealer by both arms and violently pushes him across the room into a corner in his chair.
His accomplice then springs into action and runs to a counter in the store and sweeps up a handful of items, while the other puts the victim in a chokehold.
As the dealer tries to wriggle free, the man in sunglasses appears to tighten his grip to ensure he doesn't escape.
The staff member watches helplessly as the other robber stuffs the watches into a bag, which sits on the back of the man who has it in the main lock.
The victim then stops resisting while the backpack remains filled with items from the store shelves.
The pair initially sit on the other side of the desk next to the victim, who appears to be repairing a white watch for them
The man standing up then suddenly grabs the dealer by both arms and violently pushes him in his chair across the room into a corner
As the dealer tries to wriggle free, the man in sunglasses appears to tighten his grip to ensure he doesn't escape
The robber even grabs a few things to steal from the table, over which the dealer initially repaired the watch.
The man in sunglasses appears to be talking to the victim the entire time while keeping a tight chokehold on him.
Meanwhile, the other robber piles items into the bag and his accomplice turns his attention from the dealer and starts talking to him.
The pickpocket then rips open cupboards and drawers to grab more watches and increase the loot.
At one point he seems to take more than he can carry and drops an item on the work floor.
The pair appear to decide they have taken enough and after a hand gesture from the man in sunglasses, the other robber removes a handful of zip ties from the backpack and places them on the table before the video ends.
This comes after it was revealed it was a machete-wielding thug threatened to cut off singer Aled Jones' arm in front of his teenage son, unless he 'bloody' handed over his £17,000 Rolex watch, was given a two-year training order and detention.
It's part of one wider rise of luxury watch robberies in Londonwhich keeps wealthy owners from showing off their expensive purchases – and possibly contributing to the collapsing demand for high-end timepieces.
Recently high-profile businessman Devin Narang took advantage of a summit with Labour's shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy to warn Indian executives postponed a visit to London due to fear of falling victim to robbers.
The renewable energy entrepreneur expressed concerns about watch thefts in higher-end areas.
He said in February: 'People are being robbed in the heart of London, in Mayfair – all CEOs in India have experience of physical robberies and the police are not responding.'
During London's street crime epidemic last year, cases of 'theft from a person' – including theft of watches, handbags and mobile phones – rose by 27 percent compared to the previous 12 months.
Metropolitan Police figures show that 72,756 of these crimes were reported in the year to 2023, up from 57,468 in 2022.
And in the London borough of Westminster – which also includes the affluent Mayfair – such crimes have increased by more than 40 percent, with 25,650 instead of 18,310.
In the West End alone, more than 300 watches worth a total of almost £4 million were stolen in the six months to October 2022.
In April that year, former British boxing champion Amir Khan was accosted by a gunman who made off with his £72,000 custom watch as he left a restaurant in East London.
Moped and e-bike gangs have been identified as prolific culprits – while not only watches but also mobile phones are increasingly being seized, including in a brutal raid on a woman near London's Regent's Park last month.
Worldwide, the number of watches reported as lost or stolen has increased has more than tripled in the past twelve monthsthe Watch Register database revealed last week.
New figures from the company show that the value of registered stolen and lost luxury watches has risen to £1.5 billion – an increase of 236 percent compared to a year ago.
The Met Police have appealed for anyone who recognizes the two men involved in the latest robbery in Richmond to get in touch.
In a statement, police said: 'The incident happened at around 2.50pm on Saturday, May 25 in Kew Road.
'Two men, who were not armed, entered the store and assaulted an employee before stealing a quantity of valuable watches.
His accomplice then springs into action and runs to a counter in the store and sweeps up a handful of items, while the other puts the victims in a chokehold.
The pickpocket then rips open cupboards and drawers to grab more watches and increase the loot
The robber continues to pile items into the bag and his accomplice turns his attention from the dealer and starts talking to him
'Anyone who recognizes these two men or has information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or 'X' @MetCC and quote CAD4555/25May.
'You can also pass on information anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers foundation on 0800 555 111.'