A 54-year-old mainland man was arrested on Wednesday when he was about to leave the city after committing another round of pickpocketing at bus stops, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect is a farmer surnamed Mai from Guangxi.
According to Leng, the police received multiple reports of thefts at bus stops in January and March. The police found CCTV footage showing Mai using his tote bag as cover, and taking advantage of the heavy flow of passengers at various bus stops to approach the victims.
The crime scenes included the bus stops in Praça de Ferreira do Amaral, Estrada Almirante Marques Esparteiro in Taipa near the exit of the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, and areas near casinos.
Leng said that so far nine victims – four local residents, a Hongkonger, a mainlander and three non-resident workers, aged between 23 and 66 – individually reported to the police the thefts involving 115,000 patacas worth of cash and items.
According to Leng, Mai re-entered the city last Wednesday and was arrested on Wednesday when he was about to return to the mainland. After the arrest, police found he was carrying a number of smartphones, a small amount of foreign currency and pataca notes. Mai was not able to explain where the money or items came from, and refused to elaborate. The police said they suspect that there could be more cases of pickpocketing at bus stops by the suspect.
Mai was transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for questioning yesterday, facing aggravated theft charges, according to Leng.
The hooded pickpocketing suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers yesterday from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
