Nanaimo police are looking for a man who allegedly made off with nearly $20,000 in jewelry.

The RCMP have released a photo of the man they say stole four rings from Mappins Jewellers at the Woodgrove Centre on April 10.

Police say the theft occurred at approximately 5 p.m., when the man walked into the store and asked to see a variety of rings. After handling them for several minutes, police say the man turned and ran out the door.

He was last seen in the Hudson's Bay store in the shopping centre.

The missing rings are described as:

  • • 14 KT yellow gold band
  • • 1 KT round diamond
  • • 1 white 14 KT gold band
  • • 1.52 KT round diamond

The suspect is described as a white man in his late 20s with black hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black zip-up sweater with writing on the left side and black baggy pants.

The store clerk described the suspect’s hands as cracked and dirty, with black smudges in many of the cracks.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at nanaimocrimestoppers.com or 1-800-222-8477.