A male mainlander who burgled a flat in the Penha Hill area on Sunday was caught that night when the police intercepted a taxi with him as a passenger that was travelling on the wrong side of the road in the area, Judiciary Police (PJ) Ho Chan Nam said in a special press conference yesterday.
The burglar stole a number of valuables worth 22,000 patacas. The cabbie told the police that he’s a rookie in the taxi sector so that he was still not familiar with roads in the Penha Hill area because of which he was driving the vehicle on the wrong side of the road.
Ho identified the burglary suspect as a 23-year-old surnamed Zhou who told the police that he is unemployed.
Zhou burgled the flat with another male mainlander, who was still at large at the time of yesterday’s press conference. When the police intercepted the taxi, Zhou and his accomplice escaped. Zhou was later caught by a security guard after climbing over a wall in the area to escape the police, while his accomplice vanished.
On Sunday night, Public Security Police (PSP) officers saw the taxi travelling on the wrong side of the road on Penha Hill. When the officers intercepted the taxi, Zhou and the other man suddenly opened the doors and ran away, Ho said.
Zhou climbed over the outer wall of a house in the area but he was caught by a security guard in the house, who then took him to the police, while the other man disappeared, according to Ho.
The cabbie told the police that he picked up the two men in Rua do Almirante Sérgio in the Inner Harbour area at 11 p.m. on Sunday to take them to the Penha Hill area. The cabbie said that he was still not familiar with the hill’s roads because of which he was driving on the wrong side of the road, Ho said.
A domestic helper of the burgled flat reported to the police on Monday afternoon that someone had attempted to force open a safe in the master bedroom, Ho said, adding that the domestic helper later confirmed that a necklace and a bracelet worth a total of 22,000 patacas had been stolen.
After investigating, PJ officers found a shoe print on the outer wall of the building and concluded that someone had burgled the flat, Ho said.
The Public Security Police had meanwhile transferred Zhou to the Judiciary Police who confirmed that the shoe print on the building’s external wall matched Zhou’s shoes. PJ officers also seized the stolen necklace and bracelet from Zhou, Ho said.
Under questioning by the police, Zhou admitted that he and his accomplice had come to Macau with the intention of committing burglaries. Zhou said that he had attempted and failed to force open the safe in the flat’s master bedroom and then stolen the necklace and the bracelet that he found somewhere else in the flat.
Zhou has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further questioning, facing an aggravated theft charge.
According to Article 198 of the Macau Penal Code, theft by illegally entering a home – i.e. burglary – is regarded as aggravated theft, which is punishable by a prison term of up to five years, regardless of the amount of the stolen valuables.
According to the same article, a burglar who has broken into a home, climbed into a home or entered a home with a master key faces a prison term of up to 10 years.
Evidence seized from the burglar is displayed in a pressroom of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Zape yesterday. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
