A couple was arrested on Thursday for stealing a smartphone worth 13,000 patacas left by a staff member of a clinic in Fai Chi Kei last Monday, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Lam Keong said during yesterday’s regular press conference.
The couple comprise a 26-year-old woman surnamed Liu, a jobless non-permanent resident and her 37-year-old local husband surnamed Io, who told the police that he is a car salesman.
According to Lam, a female staff member of a clinic reported to the Public Security Police last Monday evening that she had left her smartphone in the toilet of the clinic earlier that day but she was unable to find it when she looked for it later. The victim suspected that the smartphone had been stolen and reported the case to the police.
Thanks to CCTV footage, PSP officers discovered that Liu, while waiting to see the doctor, walked into the toilet about one minute after the victim had left the bathroom, and then left quickly. PSP officers suspected that she put the stolen phone in a car parked at the kerb and returned to the clinic and continued to wait for the doctor. Afterwards, PSP officers discovered that her husband (Io) had got into the car to remove the smartphone, Lam said.
PSP officers arrested the couple last Thursday near Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga. Liu admitted to committing the crime. Io confessed that he had given the phone to a telecom shop in Rua da Paz to sell for him. PSP officers retrieved the phone from the shop later that day.
The couple have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). Liu faces a theft-by-finding charge while Io faces a fencing charge, according to Lam.
Meanwhile, a mainlander was also arrested on Thursday for stealing a smartphone worth 4,000 patacas last Monday, according to Lam.
The suspect, a non-resident worker surnamed Gu, in his forties, told the police that he works on a construction site.
According to Lam, a female non-resident worker reported to the police last Monday that she had lost her smartphone in a shop near the Barrier Gate when she was shopping earlier that day. She was unable to find it when she returned to the shop.
After scrutinising the CCTV footage, PSP officers discovered that a man went into the shop and stole the smartphone. The man later returned to the mainland via the Barrier Gate checkpoint and he was arrested when he re-entered Macau through the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Thursday. Gu admitted to stealing the phone. He told the police that he took the phone to the mainland and posted it to a family member. PSP officers seized the clothes Gu was wearing when he committed the crime from his home.
Gu has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a theft-by-finding charge, according to Lam.
The undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows two PSP officers escorting the two theft suspects to a police station.
The undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows two PSP officers escorting the theft suspect to a police station.
