Homeless woman in Hong Kong robbed by bicycle duo of HK$16,000 and mobile phone
- Victim, 74, was sorting out used cardboard when one suspect snatched her valuables and his accomplice covered her mouth with his hand from behind, source says
- Robbers both thought to be aged about 30
Two bicycle-riding robbers in Hong Kong are on the run after snatching a waist pouch containing HK$16,000 (US$2,039) and a mobile phone from an elderly street-sleeper in the early hours of Monday.
The 74-year-old woman was sitting on a flight of staircases outside Kowloon City Plaza sorting out used cardboard at the junction of Lion Rock Road and Carpenter Road in Kowloon City shortly before 3am, when the two men approached her.
“One of them sat next to the victim talking to her. He stole her waist bag while the other man approached from behind and covered her mouth with his hand [to stop her from yelling for help],” a source said.
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The two black-clad robbers then fled on bicycles. According to the force, the suspects are both thought to be aged about 30.
The elderly woman went to a nearby convenience store on Lion Rock Road to seek help from an employee who made a police report. Officers combed the area, but no arrests were made.
Police said the woman was unhurt in the incident. Detectives from the Kowloon City criminal investigation unit are handling the case.
The woman is among street sleepers who collect used cardboard for extra pocket money outside Carpenter Road Park in the district.
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In the first six months of this year, police handled 41 robberies across the city, down nearly 39 per cent from 67 cases in the same period last year. The detection rate was 66 per cent.
While announcing the city’s half-year crime statistics last month, police said on July 25 that the detection rate for robbery hit a record high since half-yearly figures were recorded in 1977.
