Street gang slashed my arm to grab £115k watch
A PROPERTY tycoon slashed in the elbow when thugs stole his £115,000 watch told yesterday how the knifeman struck ‘with military precision’ to paralyse his arm.
Bo Khan, 55, began a dramatic pursuit of the three men after his Breguet Tourbillion - was wrenched from his wrist.
The developer was attacked in Mayfair, central London, in front of his horrified wife Karen on the final day of a romantic break on June 9 last year.
Though he was bleeding profusely from his s wound, he was able to flag down a passing g Audi A6 car, jump in the passenger seat and nd chase after the thieves while his wife, Karen, 56, phoned police from the back seat.
‘I was so full of adrenalin it just didn’t hurt t at the time, though it was very uncomfortable for weeks afterwards,’ he said. ‘The driver caught ght them up then I jumped out the passenger door, oor, still bleeding everywhere from my arm, and chased two of the lads.
‘They were absolutely shocked I’d chased sed and caught up with them, but they were fitter tter and younger than me, so I just couldn’t catch atch them on foot.
‘This was probably for the best – if they’d been een willing to knife me from behind to snatch my watch they probably would have done somemething worse had I caught them.
‘I’d made a real mess of this guy’s car with all the blood.’
The father- of- four’s Breguet Tourbillon ‘Extra Plat’ watch has not been recovered. Police told him he had been tailed by the thieves for a few hundred yards before they attacked his arm.
They also told him that gangs had been prowling the wealthy neighbourhoods of central London. Once they had selected a target, the attackers would use knives to slash downwards into their victim’s arm to disable them and make it easier to snatch valuables.
‘It was done with military precision,’ said Mr Khan. ‘ They ran from behind, one grabbed my arm, stabbed me in the elbow and dragged me to the ground by the wrist and another grabbed my watch,’ he said.
‘They slashed my arm to cut tendons and paralyse the arm. They got it pretty deep but didn’t disable the arm so I was able to grapple a bit.
‘But the way they executed it – it was clear they knew what they were doing and they’d done the same thing before.
‘ They will have spotted the watch and thought it was worth stealing, without actually knowing quite how much it’s worth.’ Police yesterday released CCTV of the attack, which shows the Khans chasing the robbers moments after the watch was stolen.
Three suspects, in their 30s and of Mediterranean appearance, are seen running off in the direction of Park Lane with the watch visible in the hands of one of the attackers. Mr Khan and his wife, from Manchester, have had counselling to help them recover from the trauma, and have only returned to the capital once since the attack.
‘I love London and wouldn’t say it’s put me off but I wouldn’t ever be as comfortable in the capital as I used to be,’ he said.
Mr Khan has reported the theft to the luxury Swiss watchmakers, and if it is ever taken in for a service it will be flagged on the company’s system.
Detective Constable Eve Kelly, of the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘This violent robbery was committed in broad daylight, and it appears that the victim was specifically targeted for his watch.’