All 11 suspects caught in Nanjing's $4m gold heist

Police have arrested all 11 suspects and recovered the entire cache of 27 kilograms of gold stolen from a luxury goods store in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in what authorities described as China's largest gold theft by value.

The 37 stolen gold items were worth more than 27 million yuan ($4 million), Nanjing police said.

The theft occurred in the early hours of May 16 at a store in Jiangning district. Investigators found climbing marks near a second-floor window, although the store's doors remained locked and the keys to the display counters appeared undisturbed.

Police said a suspect surnamed Tong entered the store through the window at about 1 am and went directly to the gold counter. He filled a backpack with gold bars and other items but left nearby watches and other luxury goods untouched.

Investigators later found that several people had repeatedly visited the store to inspect the premises in the month before the theft. They identified another suspect, surnamed Wang, as the alleged organizer.

According to police, Wang had studied the store's layout and surveillance system in advance. On the night of the theft, he allegedly disabled nearly 80 surveillance camera feeds and erased stored footage before flying to Bangkok, Thailand, later that day.

After the theft, Tong left part of the stolen gold in a vehicle arranged by Wang before fleeing south in a ride-hailing vehicle.

Police examined 2,273 vehicles before determining that Tong had boarded a car near a ring expressway at about 5 am on May 16, said Han Ting, head of the criminal investigation brigade of the Jiangning branch of the Nanjing public security bureau.

Tong repeatedly changed his destination during the journey and arrived in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, at about 9 pm on May 17, Han said.

The driver later told police that Tong appeared nervous and barely slept during the more than 2,000-kilometer journey. Unable to pay the fare of more than 7,000 yuan in cash, Tong broke off part of a gold piece and gave it to the driver as payment.

Investigators determined that Tong was heading for Ningming county in Chongzuo, near the China-Vietnam border, in an attempt to leave the country illegally. Nanjing police immediately requested assistance from border authorities in Guangxi.

At about 5:40 am on May 18, officers from the Aidian border police station intercepted a white sedan near a freight yard. Tong was found in the back seat, and police recovered 8.75 kg of gold from him and his backpack.

Meanwhile, Nanjing police activated an international law enforcement cooperation mechanism to pursue Wang. Thai police arrested him in Bangkok on May 23, and he was extradited to Nanjing on May 29. Police recovered another 13.2 kg of gold from his residence.

"The criminal group was highly organized, with clear divisions of responsibility and extensive planning," said Li Dahai, executive deputy director of the Nanjing public security bureau.

Li said investigators worked around the clock for more than half a month. The task force pursued suspects across eight provincial-level regions and conducted cross-border operations through the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism. All 11 suspects were arrested and all of the stolen gold was recovered.

The Nanjing public security bureau recently sent a letter of appreciation to the Chongzuo border management detachment, saying Tong's interception played a crucial role in solving the case.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn