A mainlander was arrested last week for buying four smartphones stolen by three local teens, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said at a regular press conference on Monday.
The 34-year-old male suspect is surnamed Cai.
According to Leng, three teens were arrested in January last year for stealing four smartphones at a basketball court near Macau Tower earlier that month.
A police investigation discovered that the trio had resold the stolen smartphones to a telecom shop near the Barrier Gate.
PJ officers later identified Cai as the suspect who had received the stolen smartphones. Cai, who had left the city in February last year, was arrested at the Barrier Gate checkpoint last Wednesday upon his return to Macau.
Under questioning, Cai admitted that the four smartphones were stolen goods and that he had bought them for 2,300 patacas in total. He also told the police that he had dismantled the four phones so that he could use the parts for repairs. He also said that he had resigned from the telecom shop in February last year and returned to the mainland due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case has been transferred to the Public Security Police for follow-up investigation, according to Leng.
Cai was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) last Wednesday, facing a fencing charge, according to Leng.
According to Article 227 of the Penal Code, receiving ill-gotten property is punishable by up to five years behind bars or a fine.
