Two Vietnamese women have been apprehended for stealing frozen meat valued at 500 patacas from a restaurant where one of them was employed, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong said during a routine press conference yesterday.
The suspect in her fifties, surnamed Lien, worked in the eatery in the city centre. Her accomplice, a woman surnamed Truyen, who is in her forties, works as a domestic helper. Lien is a non-permanent resident while Truyen is a non-resident worker (NRW).
According to Lai, on Sunday, a chef at the restaurant witnessed Lien taking a batch of frozen meat from the freezer, placing it in a black garbage bag, and then loading it onto a trolley. The chef grew suspicious as the shop’s regulations prohibited Lien from handling food items.
Later that day, the chef noticed Lien pushing the cart containing the frozen meat out of the restaurant and handing it over to Truyen in an adjacent alley. The chef intercepted them and reported the case to the police.
Under questioning, they admitted to the crime. Truyen told the police that she intended to use the meat for a dinner party with her friends, all of them working as maids, later that evening.
The suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). Lien faces a charge of abuse of trust, while Truyen faces a charge of handling stolen goods.
Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: William Chan
