Some signs that the theft of $7.9 million worth of watches and cash from Cortina Watch’s Raffles City outlet was an inside job has emerged, and police are now looking for an ex-employee of the store to help in investigations.

The man, 35-year-old Jerry Ee, has gone missing, and his parents told The Straits Times that he has not been home since Dec 26 – a day after the robbery took place.

In what appeared to be a related development, his services have been terminated by the watch retailer, and a notice stating that he is no longer an employee and is not authorised to act for the company in any capacity appears in the Straits Times.

Such ads, industry experts say, are normally taken out when staff of high-end retailers are dismissed or leave the company.

This is because such workers often have extremely close relationships with customers. The notices prevent former workers who have been sacked or who have left the company from taking advantage of such ties.

It is not known for how long Mr Ee had worked for the company, or what position he held.

When The Straits Times visited his flat last night, his mother and stepfather said they had no clue where he was.

They said they had left for Taiwan for an eight-day holiday before Christmas and returned on Boxing Day, and did not think anything of it when Mr Ee did not come home that night.

When he did not return after a few days, they became worried but had no way of contacting him.

The first sign that trouble might be brewing appeared on Monday, when they arrived home to find a note from the police on their door.

The note instructed them to call a number, but they did not.

Tuesday evening, police officers came calling again.

They asked for Mr Ee’s whereabouts and left without explaining why, said his stepfather, 62, who refused to be named.

Mr Ee, who is divorced, has two children. He has custody of his four-year-old son, while his eight-year-old daughter lives with his ex-wife.

He is listed as the owner of several telecommunications and air-conditioning companies.

Said his stepfather: “I just want him to come back so we can settle everything.”

Interviews with Raffles City’s security guards, other tenants in the mall and several watch retailers also threw up signs of an inside job:

• Security guards on duty on the night of the robbery said no alarms went off and there were no signs of a break-in at the store.

• Cleaners who worked through the night also said they did not hear anything.
  

• The manager of the Omega boutique, which is just metres away from the affected store, said Cortina employees had told him there was no break-in. “I know two workers at the Cortina outlet and both told me that it was an employee who did it. Someone else in the industry told me the same thing,” he said. “It is very possible.”

• The Singapore Clock & Watch Trade Association – of which Cortina Watch is a member – is concerned enough about an inside job to call a meeting to advise its members to improve the security of their stores as well as monitor staff behaviour, said its secretary, Ms Geraldine Lim.

One retailer has already taken action: Managers at Sincere Watch have been asked to be more vigilant and to monitor staff behaviour.

The theft of watches and cash took place after Cortina’s store closed on Christmas Day.

Police said that 386 timepieces of assorted brands and $27,000 in cash were stolen.

A check at the store on Tuesday found that it was business as usual.

At least nine closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were spotted inside the outlet, and about 10 staff members were in the store at any one time.

Other retailers in the mall said they were aware of the theft, but had not been formally told about what happened.

Ms Kat Ang, a boutique assistant at the Omega outlet, said: “The manager told us about the robbery and sent us e-mails to ask us to be more alert. But we want updates about what is going on, so we can take the necessary precautions.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 31, 2008.

» Business as usual for Cortina Watch at Raffles City

» Stolen Cortina watches tough to resell here

» Insurance doesn’t cover ‘inside jobs’