A man from Mali was arrested on Thursday for stealing a phone valued at 7,500 patacas from a secondary school student, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Lai identified the suspect as a man surnamed Samv, who is in his forties and told the police that he is jobless.
According to Lai, a local secondary student reported on April 16 that his phone worth 7,500 patacas had gone missing. The student told the police that he had left the phone on a stone bench at school before joining an activity in the playground. After 14 minutes, he discovered that the phone had vanished and immediately reported the case to the police, accompanied by his father.
Through the citywide CCTV network and the school’s surveillance footage, the police identified Samv as the suspect. The footage showed him entering the school, stealing the phone, and putting it in his pocket before quickly leaving the campus. The police intercepted him on Thursday near Rua de Cinco de Outubro (枷墩놓巧쌍) and discovered the phone in his backpack.
Under questioning, Samv admitted to entering the school campus and picking up the phone. However, he denied stealing it, claiming that he intended to hand the phone in to the police but did not know where to find them. He also told the police that he had never used the phone and claimed that he did not know it was a school.
According to Lai, Samv has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) and is facing charges of theft and trespassing in restricted public places.
Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa, has some 22 million inhabitants. It is one of the world’s poorest countries.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows a PSP officer escorting the suspect into a police station.
