Police have warned women to be alert and stepped up patrols in Mong Kok after a rape and a sexual assault were carried out within 500 metres of each other early yesterday.
The rape of a 22-year-old woman and the assault on a 23-year-old, who had her mouth covered with a chemical-soaked towel before being molested, were reported within 25 minutes of each other. Police are investigating whether the two crimes are linked.
Crime squad officers are examining surveillance camera tapes from shops and buildings as they attempt to work out whether the same assailant was behind both attacks.
The rape was reported at 4.40am, when the victim sought help from a security guard at the Sun Hing Building in Nathan Road.
'The victim was dragged into an alley where she was raped,' the officer said.
Police say the attacker is thought to be aged about 30 and is about 1.6 metres tall with short hair.
The indecent assault took place on the staircase of a block of flats in Soy Street as the victim returned home from work at about 4.15am.