$20K worth of rings stolen from Nanaimo jewelry store: RCMP

Nanaimo RCMP are investigating the alleged theft of a handful of high-end rings worth nearly $20,000.

According to police, the jewelry was pilfered from Mappins Jewellers at the Woodgrove Centre around 5 p.m. on April 10.

Police say a man entered the store and asked to look at a number of rings. According to police, he handled them for several minutes before suddenly bolting out the door.

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The rings include a 14-karat yellow gold band, a one-karat round diamond ring, a 14-karat white gold band and a 1.52-karat round diamond ring.

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Police believe the suspect fled through The Bay at the mall’s south end.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian man in his late 20s with black hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black zip-up sweatshirt with writing on the left side and baggy black pants at the time of the alleged incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.