Two men who entered Macau illegally from Zhuhai early this week were arrested on Wednesday for burgling a residential flat in Rua do Almirante Sérgio in the Inner Harbour area on the previous day making off with valuables worth 155,000 patacas, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said at a special press conference yesterday.
The two suspects are a 36-year-old jobless mainlander surnamed Cao and a 32-year-old jobless man who had no identity documents on him and refused to reveal his name.
According to Chan, a man who lives in the flat reported to the Judiciary Police on Tuesday that valuables such as cash and gold jewellery worth about 155,000 patacas had vanished. He told the police that he had locked the main door of the flat that afternoon and went to the rooftop to take care of his plants. When he returned home about an hour later, he discovered that his home had been ransacked and some valuables had gone missing. The Judiciary Police identified the two suspects based on CCTV footage in the area.
According to Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Wong Wai Chon, PSP officers discovered the two suspects while they were on patrol duty in Praça de Luís de Camões on Wednesday morning. When the officers approached them, the duo ran off in different directions. PSP officers chased after them and intercepted Cao in Rua de Estrela. Burglary tools such as four master keys, two pairs of gloves, two torches and HK$12,000 in cash were found on him. However, the other suspect managed to escape, but in evening the Public Security Police discovered through CCTV footage that he was in Coloane. PSP officers later intercepted him in Avenida de Cinco de Outubro in Coloane later that evening and transferred the two suspects separately to the Judiciary Police for follow-up investigations later that day.
Under questioning, Cao claimed to have been smuggled into Macau by boat from Zhuhai a few days ago with the other suspect. Cao also admitted that he had been to the building, but denied the burglary, saying that he only entered the building’s staircase to urinate. The other suspect refused to cooperate with the investigation, according to Chan.
The Judiciary Police later discovered that Cao was involved in a theft case in Macau in 2018, after which he was deported to the mainland and prohibited from entering Macau until December 2023.
The other suspect, who has no criminal record in Macau, refused to provide any personal information. Chan said the Judiciary Police were unable to confirm the identity of the suspect and have transferred his fingerprint records to the Public Security Bureau in the mainland to assist in the investigation. The Judiciary Police are continuing their investigation into the stolen valuables, according to Chan.
The duo were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing aggravated theft charges, according to Chan.
The two hooded burglary suspects are escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Evidence seized from one of the burglary suspects such as two torches, Hong Kong dollar notes and two pairs of gloves are displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
