A local man set fire to old furniture and other items dumped at the staircase of a residential building where he lives after drinking earlier this week, Judiciary Police (PJ) Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire after receiving reports on the case, in which no one was injured.
Chao identified the arsonist as a 35-year-old surnamed Lam who told the police that he is a chef.
The fire occurred at the staircase on the ground floor of a low-rise residential building on Rua de S. Miguel (聖美基街), a street in the neighbourhood near São Lázaro Church, according to Chao.
The Fire Services Bureau (CB) received reports on Monday evening that various items dumped at the staircase on the building’s ground floor, including old furniture and an old TV, were on fire, Chao said. Firefighters rushed to the scene and quickly extinguished the blaze. No one was injured.
After scrutinising CCTV footage and assessing witnesses’ statements and the evidence gathered at the scene, Chao said, the police concluded that the fire was started deliberately by somebody, and identified Lam, a tenant who lives in the building, as the suspected arsonist.
On Tuesday, Chao said, the Judiciary Police summoned Lam to their headquarters for questioning where he admitted to setting fire to the dumped items with a lighter after drinking.
Chao also said that the building in the case is an old walkup only with limited fire safety facilities, because of which, he said, if the fire had spread, the consequences could have been disastrous.
Lam has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further investigation, facing an arson charge.
The suspect faces up to 10 years behind bars.
Filipina maid steals cash & jewellery from employer
Meanwhile, Chao also said during a regular press conference yesterday that the Judiciary Police arrested a domestic helper from the Philippines on Tuesday for stealing cash and gold jewellery worth 115,000 patacas in total from her employer’s home in Taipa earlier this month.
The 42-year-old Filipina started to work for the victim in September last year.
On Thursday last week, Chao said, the victim found that cash worth 15,000 patacas in red envelopes (known as “lai see” in Cantonese) in a bedroom drawer had disappeared. Under questioning, the domestic helper admitted to stealing the money, and voluntarily wrote a confession letter promising to return the stolen money.
However, Chao said, the victim found on Sunday that more cash as well as gold jewellery, worth 100,000 patacas in total, has disappeared, after which the victim could not contact the domestic helper. Consequently, the victim reported the case to the police.
The police intercepted the domestic helper in the street in Taipa on Tuesday. Under questioning, Chao said, she admitted that she had pawned some of the stolen gold jewellery.
The domestic helper remitted some of the proceeds received from the pawnshop to her home country, while gambling away the remainder.
The police seized some of the stolen gold jewellery from her and retrieved some from the pawnshop, worth 9,800 patacas in total.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded arson suspect to a PJ car outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Tony Wong
This photo shows the old furniture, old TV and other dumped items at the staircase of the building after they were on fire on Monday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
This undated handout photo provided by Judiciary Police yesterday shows some of the jewellery seized in the theft case.
