The Judiciary Police (PJ) apprehended a man from the Chinese mainland on Friday for separately pickpocketing two female passengers on two crowded buses, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspect as a 38-year-old male surnamed Wei who claimed to be jobless.
According to Chao, the police received a report on Friday from an elderly local woman who said that while she was standing near the exit door of a crowded Route No. 101X bus at 11:30 a.m. in the city centre, she discovered that her backpack had been opened, and her ID card, bank cards, HK$3,000 in cash, along with 5,400 patacas in cash, had vanished.
Chao added that the police received a referral from the Public Security Police (PSP) later that evening at 9 p.m. about another similar theft case. A middle-aged local woman reported that while she was standing near the exit door of a crowded Route No. 30 bus in the northern district at 7:30 p.m., she discovered that her black wallet had been stolen from her handbag, resulting in the loss of her ID card, bank cards, and HK$1,000 in cash.
The police identified Wei as the suspect and arrested him outside a hotel in the central district at 11:30 p.m. on Friday. Under questioning, Wei refused to cooperate. Chao said that Wei specifically targeted crowded buses, using his backpack as cover to pilfer items from the victims.
Wei has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a theft charge.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) received four additional pickpocketing cases on buses between September 30 and October 5, comprising one male and three female victims, with a total loss of 44,000 patacas.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chao Teng Hin looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
