Thieves target OPSM shop in St Heliers, steal $90k worth of sunglasses

If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Police say that receiving stolen property is a crime.

More than $90,000 worth of sunglasses and frames have been stolen from an optometrist store in Auckland early this morning.

Just before 4.00am this morning, police said the glass front door of the OPSM store on Turua Street, St Heliers was smashed and the shop ransacked.

Staff member Mariz Garcia said about 300 sunglasses and frames were stolen, worth an estimated $90,000.

"Most of it was Tiffany, Prada, Ray-Ban and Bulgari."

She said it appeared to be a smash and grab job, with the front door bashed in and sunglasses strewn across the floor.

Garcia said a "dodgy" man entered the store two days ago and asked before leaving, "is this all you've got?"

She said the store was also burgled just prior to Christmas last year.

Inspector Andy King, of Auckland Police, said there may be a large number of stolen glasses and sunglasses online.

"If you see glasses or sunglasses for sale online or anywhere else for a heavily discounted price, this could mean they are stolen," he said.

"If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Keep aware of this and remember that receiving stolen property is a crime."

On Monday police arrested a 37-year-old man after about $8000 worth of stock was stolen from Bell Neuhauser & Matthews Optometrist in Hamilton.

The man appeared in Hamilton District Court on Monday charged with burglary.

Police were still seeking another man in connection with the Hamilton burglary and described him as Caucasian, in his 40s, with tattoos on his right ankle to below his right knee, and tattoos on his left leg from his ankle to upper thigh.

A police spokeswoman said it was too early in the investigation to determine if the two incidents are linked.