On the morning of June 12, the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau held a special press conference to announce the successful investigation of the "May 16" major gold theft case in Jiangning District, providing details on the case resolution and the return of stolen property.

The authorities reported that all 27 kilograms of stolen gold, valued at over 27 million yuan, have been recovered, and all 11 suspects have been apprehended. This case is the largest gold theft by value ever solved in the country.

On the morning of May 16, a luxury store in Nanjing reported a theft of nearly 27 kilograms of gold from its premises. Police investigation revealed that while the store counters were intact and keys were in place, 37 gold items were missing. Traces of climbing were found on a second-floor windowsill, and nearly 80 surveillance cameras in the store had been manually turned off the previous night, with all data formatted.

After recovering the surveillance data, police discovered that multiple individuals had entered the crime scene to scout the location on numerous occasions over a month before the theft. Following analysis, a suspect surnamed Wang was identified as a key person of interest.

Further investigation revealed that Wang had fled to Bangkok, Thailand, by plane on the afternoon of the theft day. The special task force quickly activated international police cooperation mechanisms. With coordination from senior leadership of the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department, Thai police successfully arrested Wang in Bangkok on May 23 and extradited him back to Nanjing on May 29.

By searching Wang's residence and several other hiding places, police successfully seized 13.2 kilograms of gold.

As the main suspects were apprehended, the task force's deeper investigation revealed a meticulously planned organized crime. The principal suspect, Wang, was responsible for overall command, while a suspect surnamed Tong carried out the theft. Another suspect, surnamed Zhang, was responsible for arranging reception and escape.

Regarding the stolen gold, Han Ting, head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Jiangning Branch of the Nanjing Public Security Bureau, explained at the press conference: "We meticulously checked 2,273 passing vehicles and ultimately discovered that Tong had taken a ride near the ring expressway around 5 a.m. on May 16. He changed destinations multiple times during the journey and arrived in Nanning, Guangxi, around 9 p.m. on May 17."

The task force promptly dispatched police officers already on assignment in Guangxi. With the full cooperation of police in Nanning and Chongzuo, as well as border management departments, Tong was apprehended in the early hours of May 18 just over 100 meters from the China-Vietnam border, as he was about to illegally cross the border. 8.75 kilograms of gold were seized on the spot.

On the evening of May 21, the task force arrested Zhang, who was preparing to flee, at Wenzhou Longwan International Airport. Through analysis of massive data, the police subsequently apprehended several individuals involved in handling the stolen goods in various locations.

The investigation found that Wang and Tong connected online. Wang devised the plan, and Tong executed the theft. Both are university graduates, with Wang being a top-performing employee at his company. They became involved in online gambling during their university years, accruing massive debts, which led them to take the desperate risk.

Following the press conference, a ceremony was held to return the stolen property to the victimized company. The company presented a banner to the special task force praising their swift action and dedication to recovering the stolen assets in full.