A mainlander was arrested on Friday for stealing HK$39,000 from a male passenger on a Beijing-Macau flight, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said at a press conference on Friday.
Thieves who steal property while travelling on a plane are colloquially known in Cantonese as “jet rats” (“feigei louhsyu”).
The 55-year-old mainland suspect surnamed Li told the police that he owns a B&B (bed and breakfast) hotel, Lou said.
According to Lou, the mainland victim reported to the Public Security Police (PSP) on Thursday that cash totalling HK$39,000 he had put in his luggage had been stolen.
PSP officers then went to the plane to search the overhead luggage compartment, and found the HK$39,000 in cash hidden in a blanket, and intercepted Li on the spot as he intended to put the blanket and the cash into his luggage.
Apart from the HK$39,000, PSP officers also found 13 non-local currencies, including Hong Kong dollars, yuan, euros, US dollars, Korean won and Thai baht on the suspect, all of which had been stolen as well.
The Public Security Police later transferred Li to the Judiciary Police, which later transferred him to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing an aggravated theft charge, according to Lou.
Evidence seized from the mainland theft suspect such as Hong Kong dollars, yuan, euros, US dollars, Korean won and Thai baht, is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters on Friday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
