An Andover business has thanked members of the public for assisting with the investigation of a daring daylight robbery in Andover.

Citrine Spa in Andover, located on Union Street, was getting ready to celebrate its second anniversary on May 18 when an unidentified man entered the building and stole a valuable massage kit, which was to be used as part of the spa’s new deluxe service.

After sharing footage of the theft on social media, appealing for the guilty party to hand themselves in, the Spa thanked members of the public for helping with their appeal.

“We would like to say thank you very much to the people who helped us share the post,” said Tim Ha, one of the business’s owners, “and provided the information to police. Their actions made our community safer.”

The incident took place on Tuesday, May 18 at around 16:25. An unidentified man entered through the back door of the spa and into the building, where he was observed taking the massage kit by CCTV cameras. He then left the site.

The thief managed to gain access by using a side door to the building, which is normally left closed. However, on May 18, the door was open due to building work taking place on a nearby business to fix a leaking roof.

The theft was only discovered on May 22, when a customer using the new spa service came into the spa. It was then the kit was discovered to be missing.

“Once we realised there was a burglary, we contacted our neighbour and showed them the CCTV,” said Tim. “In the afternoon, the neighbour told us they had checked it and it wasn’t any of the builders working on their property,” adding that the neighbouring business would provide the details if police needed to follow up with them.

After reporting the crime to police, the business posted footage of the theft on social media, initially using a lower resolution video to ask the perpetrator to come forward. After they received no response, they then shared a higher resolution video.

“Many people re-shared our video,” said Tim, “and we received some information about the suspect. Police got in touch to say they had received some information about the thief, and that it was probably a man in Andover.”

The video has now been taken down on police advice, but Citrine Spa thanked members of the public for helping them in their time of need.

A police spokesperson said that officers were exploring all avenues of enquiry, saying: “It was reported to us on May 24 that on Tuesday 18 May shortly after 4.25pm, a piece of equipment was stolen from Citrine Spa on Union Street, Andover.

“The incident is currently under investigation.”