A casino dealer was arrested on Monday for stealing valuables worth 54,000 patacas from a car with the front passenger window left open, parked in Rua da Patinagem in Cotai on January 29, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said at a special press conference yesterday.
The 49-year-old suspect surnamed Chan told the police that he works as a casino dealer.
According to Leng, a local man in his twenties reported to the police on January 29 that his clutch bag that he had put on the front passenger seat of his car had vanished. The bag and a wallet inside were worth HK$14,000 in total. The wallet contained 10,000 patacas and HK$30,000 in cash, as well as a number of bank cards and personal documents. He told the police that he parked his car at the side of the road earlier that day in Rua da Patinagem and discovered that his bag had disappeared when he returned after about an hour.
Thanks to the CCTV footage, PJ officers discovered that the victim had failed to close the front passenger window after parking.
According to the CCTV footage, Chan was riding his scooter past the car at about 2 p.m. on that day. He parked his scooter nearby and then walked around the car. After confirming that no one was around, he stole the clutch bag. He then rode away, Leng said.
According to Leng, PJ officers identified Chan and arrested him at his home in the northern district on Monday morning and seized the victim’s clutch bag, wallet, bank cards and personal documents.
Under questioning, Chan admitted to committing the crime and told the police that he saw that the car’s window had been left open when he was riding past the vehicle. So he parked his scooter, looked around and then stole the bag. He claimed that he used the stolen cash to repay debts.
Chan was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing an aggravated theft charge, according to Leng.
The hooded theft suspect is escorted by the Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Evidence seized from the suspect such as a clutch bag, a wallet and a number of bank cards is displayed during yesteday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
