Armed robbers escape with computer haul
A gang of armed robbers escaped with equipment worth $7 million after raiding a computer firm in To Kwa Wan yesterday, despite being spotted by a constable sent to the scene.
The robbery took place shortly after 1.30pm when an employee at the office, on the sixth floor of a building in To Kwa Wan Road, answered the door and was confronted by two men, one armed with a pistol-like object and the other a knife.
The worker was pushed back inside the office and two other robbers entered, tying up the worker and eight of his colleagues.
A security guard working on the same floor was also subdued and tied up before the gang ransacked the shop. No one was injured, however.
The spokesman said a constable on patrol was sent to the scene shortly after the robbery. He said the constable spotted one suspect fleeing down a staircase but did not explain why he was not arrested.
'Initially, we understand the constable spotted the suspect, but there's no information yet as to the distance between them and whether an arrest would have been possible,' the spokesman said.
Hundreds of armed police officers in bullet-proof vests later staged a massive search for the four men.
