Three men aged 19 to 29 have been arrested for stealing gold bars from a goldsmith shop.

A police statement said one of the suspects, pretending to be interested in buying the gold bars, entered the goldsmith shop at about 2.15pm on July 4.

A staff member placed four gold bars worth almost $15,000 on a tray in front of the suspect.

The man picked them up, examined them and asked for a calculator.

When the staff member was not paying attention, the man ran out of the shop with the gold bars.

Other staff from the shop ran after him, but lost sight of the suspect.

The police got a picture of the thief from the shop's closed circuit television.

The Police said: "Extensive ground enquiries and in-depth investigations were conducted by the officers, which established the identity of the suspect as well as 2 others who might have been involved."

The three men were arrested at a Redhill Close rental unit on 11 July at about 11.30am.

The Police said the two younger men will be charged with theft, an offence that carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine.

The 29-year-old man will be charged for helping to conceal or dispose of stolen property. The maximum penalty he faces is five years jail and a fine.