Australian police are searching for a man who used a fishing rod to steal a Versace necklace from a high-end fashion store in Melbourne.

The robbery took place just after 2am on 24 February in the city’s central business district, and took more than three hours to pull off.

In footage released by police, the inner-city angler can be seen sliding the rod through a hole he had chipped in the store’s window without setting off the alarm.

He then used the rod to lift the necklace, believed to be valued at A$800 (£414), from a mannequin inside.

Steven Adigrati, owner of the Le Style boutique, described it as an “outrageous and courageous” theft.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mr Adigrati told Nine News. “Three-and-a-half hours, with two rods, trying to get this necklace, was amazing. Hook, line, and sinker, I guess. He did it.”

Mr Adigrati said the thief probably did not know the value of the necklace.

“This particular necklace looks a lot more expensive than what it is, so obviously the temptation was there: gold, bright, iconic Medusa head, so that would have been the temptation,” he told ABC News.

Police are appealing for more information on the man, who has yet to be identified. He is described as white, aged between 40 to 50 years old and about 5ft 9in.

The thief left just one clue behind – the hook from his fishing line.

Senior constable Bede Whitty said he had never seen a crime quite like it before.