A Philippine couple were arrested for using another person’s government-issued consumption subsidy smartcard, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheuk Kou Chi said during a regular press conference yesterday.
The cards, which are only issued to local residents, are colloquially known as “siu fai kat” in Cantonese.
The couple comprise a 40-year-old male surnamed Azres who told the police that he works as a driver in the Philippines and is visiting his 42-year-old girlfriend surnamed Reyes who works in Macau as a domestic helper.
According to Cheuk, a local woman reported to the police on May 15 that she took a taxi from Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen to Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira in Taipa at 5 a.m. on that day. She discovered later that she had lost her purse. She returned to where she had got out of the taxi but was unable to find the purse. She reported to the police that she lost a total of 5,835.70 patacas, consisting of cash and the value of her expensive purse, which also contained her “siu fai kat”. She later found out that someone had spent a total of 288.50 patacas on three purchases using her card.
Cheuk said the police discovered that the card had been used in a supermarket and convenience store in Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira in Taipa. Thanks to the supermarket’s CCTV footage, the police were able to track down Azres and arrested him on May 28 near Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira. Azres told the police that he gave the card to his girlfriend after he had found the purse. The police later retrieved the card and purse from the couple’s flat in the area. Reyes was arrested after she confessed that she had used the card.
The suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP). While Azres is facing a theft-by-finding charge and Reyes a receiving-stolen-goods charge.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows PSP officers escorting the two Philippine suspects to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) in Nape.
