Petty theft, corruption make Shenzhen no walk in the park

The mainland officials were in control and I was babbling, a hair's breadth from hysteria. I wasn't a criminal or a law-breaker of any kind - not a crook, illegal immigrant or protester.

I was a victim of crime, having been robbed in Shenzhen, a city I'd visited many times before without encountering problems.

Now I'd surrendered myself to officialdom in the hope they'd help me get back across the border into Hong Kong, where I'd just moved to from Beijing.

Now I was sitting in front of a policeman explaining my predicament. I was saying over and over how I had to get back to Hong Kong and he was shaking his head.

An hour earlier, I'd been sitting on a bench in Fairylake Botanic Garden. Having slipped off my shoes to ease aching feet, I was enjoying the park's National Day holiday atmosphere. At that moment, I felt a slight touch on my left hip. Usually, I'd have immediately looked down, but in my relaxed mood, and with my former classmate from Northeastern University in Shenyang sitting on my right, I slowly put on my shoes, before standing up to look around.

But there was no one behind me, only some passers-by a little way off smiling at me in a strange way. I reached down for my handbag. It was gone.

'Where's your handbag?' my friend asked anxiously. 'Don't you know?' I asked, thinking he was playing a prank.