A large Japanese store discovered her today theft a 24-carat gold teacup, worth more than ten million yen (about €61,000), which was displayed in an unlocked box.

The golden cup it was part of a series of items displayed for sale during an event at a Tokyo store of the Takashimaya chain.

The cup that was stolen was one of the most expensive of a thousand items, mainly teapots and dinnerware that were on displaya representative of Takashimaya explained to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“It was kept in a transparent box that was not locked at the time so that it could easily be taken out and examined closely by customers,” he explained.

Footage from security cameras showed a man putting the cup in his bag and then leaving, local media reported. Police are looking for the suspect.

The exhibition will continue, but Takashimaya will enhance the security measures around it, the spokesman said.

This is a new development for the chain of stores following a fiasco in December with Christmas sweets that was reported on social media.

More than 800 frozen strawberry confections out of about 2,900 sold online and delivered on Christmas Day appeared melted when the package was opened.

Takashimaya was forced to admit its mistake publicly during a televised press conference by Kazuhisa Yokoyama, one of its most senior executives.