A 50-year-old mainlander surnamed Cai was arrested on Friday at the Ponte 16 bus stop as he was caught red-handed attempting to pickpocket the wallet of a woman waiting for the bus, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Kam Ka Kit said at a regular press conference on Monday.
Cai was suspected of at least two pickpocketing cases at local bus stops this month, Kam said.
According to Kam, police officers on patrol in the area spotted Cai at the bus stop in front of the Ponte 16 hotel-casino complex at 1 p.m. on Friday as he kept on looking at passengers’ belongings. Kam said that Cai pretended to wait for a bus and blended into the crowd at the bus stop. As soon as a bus arrived, Cai snatched the wallet from the backpack woman’s as she was getting on the bus, Kam noted.
Kam said that the officers arrested Cai immediately after he lifted the wallet from the backpack, after which Cai threw the wallet onto the ground and tried to run away.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Cai committed another pickpocketing case on Thursday at the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro/Wing Hang(永亨銀行) bus stop, Kam said. Kam pointed out that the victim who had had her wallet stolen at that bus stop reported a loss of more than 1,000 patacas.
Kam noted that Cai admitted to committing the crime, saying that he was unemployed and trying to earn a living from stealing, Kam added that Cai claimed that he entered Macau on April 19 with the intention of stealing.
Kam said that the suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing aggravated theft charges.
Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Kam Ka Kit looks on during a regular press conference on Monday.
Photo: Prisca Tang
