Police arrest man over theft of luxury Burberry alligator coat

Two men were arrested yesterday in connection with the brazen theft of a HK$995,000 alligator skin coat from a Burberry store in Tsim Sha Tsui on Wednesday evening.

The light grey trench coat, which was taken from a mannequin inside the three-storey shop, was recovered during the arrest, police said.

A 37-year-old man of South Asian origin was stopped on Ferry Street in Yau Ma Tei at about 3pm yesterday, said chief inspector Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan, of Yau Tsim district police.

Two hours later, another man of South Asian origin, aged 31, was arrested on Bristol Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui, where officers found the coat in a bag that had been left in a roadside flower bed.

The second man, who was believed to have discarded the stolen coat, was later escorted by police to a store in nearby Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road, where a search was conducted. A tablet computer - also believed to have been stolen - was seized.

The two men were arrested and detained for theft and handling stolen goods, respectively. No charges have been laid. A team from Yau Tsim district police are investigating.