Elderly men accused of stealing HK$180,000 worth of construction materials from Hong Kong building site arrested after striking for fourth time
- Pair were stopped by police after leaving site at former Kai Tak Airport on Thursday
- Police say they disguised themselves as workers and then broke in by cutting holes in a fence
Two elderly men accused of breaking into a building site at Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak Airport and stealing HK$180,000 worth of construction materials over the past two months were arrested when they struck again, police said on Friday.
The suspects, aged 64 and 72, who disguised themselves as workers, were stopped by police when they left the site on Muk Tai Street at about 12.20pm on Thursday.
Officers seized HK$12,000 worth of light bulbs and circuit breakers in two rucksacks the pair were carrying.
After confirming the goods were from the site, police arrested the two men on suspicion of theft – an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
According to police, HK$180,000 worth of construction materials such as light bulbs, sockets and circuit breakers, were taken from the same site on three separate occasions in April and May.
Senior Inspector Poon Sung-lai said an investigation found that the thieves had entered the construction site by cutting open fences when workers went for lunch.
He said police identified the two suspects after studying a large amount of security camera footage.
Chief Inspector Ma Ling-ho said one of the men claimed he was paid HK$400 to help the other suspect.
As of midday on Friday, the two men were being held for questioning and had not been charged. The investigation is continuing.
Separately, police were called to a dried seafood shop in San Po Kong at 1.52am on Friday when its shop owner, 65, found the rolling shutter had been prised open.
A preliminary investigation showed dried swim bladders of fish, known as fish maw, and dried shark fins with an estimated value of HK$200,000 had been taken.
Officers from the Wong Tai Sin criminal investigation unit are handling the burglary case. No one has been arrested.
According to official figures, police handled 337 reports of break-ins across the city in the first three months of this year.
