Belgium: Fake Rolex Buyer Sets Up Ambush in Buggenhout Before Fleeing Toward Brussels

Two men who contacted a Rolex seller through Facebook set up an ambush at his home in Buggenhout before fleeing, unknowingly filmed by the victim's wife.

The watch was a Rolex, listed for €13,500. First contact came through Facebook, where an interested buyer reached out with what seemed like genuine enthusiasm. The meeting was set directly at the seller's home in Buggenhout.

Two young men showed up. They examined the watch carefully, asked the kind of questions you'd expect from a serious buyer — then, without warning, put on sunglasses, pulled out tear gas, and fled with the item, heading toward Brussels.

What the two suspects didn't know was that the victim's wife had quietly filmed the entire encounter. That footage went on to support a public appeal from Belgian federal police. A driver who took part in the operation has since been identified, arrested, and released under conditions; the two main suspects remain actively sought.

The case highlights a specific risk tied to selling very high-value items from home: unlike a meeting in a public place, the victim is literally opening his door to strangers based on nothing more than an exchange of messages online.