Thief posing as shopper grabs £27,000 jewels

A BRAZEN thief dressed in jeans and sneakers managed to steal £27,000 worth of jewellery from a city centre shop after telling staff he wanted to buy an engagement ring.

The man, described as in his early 20s, targeted the Lime Blue diamond store on George Street yesterday lunchtime.

He asked to see some rings and when the assistant removed a tray from the display cases and placed them on the counter, he grabbed them and ran out of the store, pursued by a member of staff.

He turned left and ran down Castle Street towards Queen Street where he got into a dark green car. Police are checking CCTV in a bid to trace it.

One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “A lassie ran out after the robber.

“He ran straight out and struggled to get into a car that was waiting for him. The car bumped up on the pavement and eventually the guy got in.

“The car sped along the footpath for a bit, too, then just 
disappeared.”

Staff at the store refused to comment yesterday.

The thief is described as a thin, white male with short, dark, spiky hair. He was 5ft 6in tall and was wearing a dark blue jacket, jeans and white trainers.

Detective Sergeant Lynsey Thomson from Lothian and Borders Police said: “This was a brazen theft that happened on a busy street in broad daylight and we are confident that someone would have seen a male running down Castle Street.

“Similarly, anyone who may recognise a description of the suspect or the car should come forward immediately.”