Two men from Hong Kong told cops they were pistol-whipped and robbed of at least $1 million in jewelry on Monday by a pair of hoodie-wearing “buyers” they met for a deal in a Midtown stairwell, sources said.
But the out-of-towners later claimed their stolen jewels were worth $10 million, and cops were trying to confirm what parts, if any, of their story were true.
The group met for the shady business deal around 11:40 a.m. in the 5th floor stairwell of 17 West 45th St., the victims told cops.
But instead of buying, the thieves beat the 25-year-old victim with a gun and the men ran off with the loot, they told cops.
“It was possibly a shady side deal gone bad,” a police source said.
The younger man suffered a cut to his eye and his older partner blacked out from a blow to his head. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.