Two men who are in their thirties from the mainland were caught red-handed on July 16, when they were leaving a flat they had burgled in the Inner Harbour area, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong said during a regular press conference on Friday.
According to Lai, the two jobless suspects, who are surnamed Law and So, entered Macau with their Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) permit. Lai did not reveal how long the duo have been in Macau.
Lai said that the Public Security Police received a report from a flat owner on the afternoon of July 16, indicating that when he or she was about to unlock the door of his or her vacant flat that day, he or she found that the lock had been damaged, adding that after finding out from his or her neighbours that the doors on two other flats in the same building had had the locks forced, he or she immediately reported the case to the police.
During the investigation, the PSP officers at the scene arrested Law and So who suddenly came out of the vacant flat of the victim whose gender was not revealed, Lai said, adding that the officers found a skeleton key (aka pass key or master key) and suspected burglary tools such as a crowbar on the duo.
Both Law and So, who denied committing the crime, insisted that the crowbar was intended to be used for “self-defence” during their stay in Macau, according to Lai.
The victim told the police that he or she decided to take legal action against the duo for the 500 patacas it cost to repair the broken lock, Lai noted.
According to Lai, the two suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing theft charges.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Friday shows two burglary suspects from the mainland being escorted by two police officers to the police station in Nam Van.
