Two arrested after armed gang makes run for toilet rolls in HK$1,600 heist as coronavirus panic shows no signs of easing
- Masked men struck outside Wellcome store in Mong Kok around 6am, escaping with about 50 packets holding 600 rolls
- Barrister says case is serious and toilet paper in current circumstances can be considered valuable
Armed robbers stole about HK$1,600 worth of toilet paper from outside a Hong Kong supermarket on Monday morning, as panic over the spread of the coronavirus showed little signs of easing.
Three masked men stole 600 rolls in about 50 packets from a delivery man outside a Wellcome store in Mong Kok, at around 6am on Monday. Police said one of the men was armed with two knives.
Two people, aged 49 and 54, had been arrested by midday on Monday, and the force said they were hunting down three more people thought to be aged between 20 and 30. The stolen toilet rolls were found in a guest house on Sai Yee Street, not far from where it was taken.
Detectives from the Mong Kok criminal investigation unit are handling the case.
Wellcome said its staff were threatened and robbed while they were unloading a delivery of toilet rolls from a lorry at the store. No one was injured.
“This is a senseless act and we are shocked,” a spokeswoman from the supermarket chain said.