Amsterdam robbers let woman go after she says her ‘expensive’ watch is fake

Would-be watch thieves in Amsterdam took to their heels after the woman they were holding at gunpoint revealed that her watch was a fake. 😳

The incident took place on Monday at around 10:45 PM down the Westerstraat in Amsterdam’s Jordaan district, reported Het Parool. It involved two balaclava-clad thieves on a scooter attempting (and failing) a drive-by robbery.

A woman trying to get into her car was given the shock of her life when a scooter screeched to a halt beside her and she felt something hard press against the back of her skull. 

Turning, she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun while her masked assailants demanded she give up her watch.

READ MORE | Gun-wielding Peaky Blinders-dressed robbers attack Dutch art fair

All that glitters is not gold

In a karmic twist of fate, however, the two robbers exhibited near-instant regret at their attempted theft of the watch. The woman revealed that it happened to be fake…causing them to speed off without their prize. 💨

Although the specific type of replica was not made known to the media, we do know that the woman was reported to be uninjured following the scuffle and scram.

Time is money

Watch-related pilfering is sadly not uncommon in the Netherlands. RTL Nieuws has already made note of particularly pesky watch thieves (dubbed the “Rolex Gang”), tracing their crimes as far back as 2019.

That summer alone, nearly 70 people were reported to have been burgled of their pricey baubles in a trend that sadly shows no sign of ceasing.

Have you ever had a run-in with the Rolex Gang or similar? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana juggles her role as an Editor with wrapping up a degree in cognitive linguistics and assisting with DutchReview's affiliate portfolio. Since arriving in the Netherlands for her studies in 2018, she's thrilled to have the 'write' opportunity to help other internationals feel more at home here — whether that's by penning an article on the best SIMs to buy in NL, the latest banking features, or important things to know about Dutch health insurance.

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