Hong Kong police hunt for 4 men who lured toy shop owner into bogus deal and fled with HK$50,000 Mickey Mouse figure
- Thieves snatched four boxes of the figure, but only made off with one after they had to abandon their getaway taxi and struggled with seller
- Owner hit on chest with hammer by one of the perpetrators
A citywide police search is under way in Hong Kong for four thieves who lured the owner of a toy store into a bogus transaction and robbed him of a limited edition Mickey Mouse figure worth about HK$50,000 (US$6,435).
The victim, 31, had received a text message from a sender claiming to be a buyer who was interested in four exclusive collectibles of the popular Disney character, a source familiar with the case said on Tuesday.
A meeting for the transaction was then arranged on Hoi Shing Road in Tsuen Wan at about 10.15pm on Monday. The figures were stored in four boxes and placed on a trolley when the shop owner met the fake customer.
“Three men then jumped out from a nearby taxi and snatched the figures,” the source said. At the same time, the robber posing as a buyer also took out a hammer and hit the victim’s chest with the weapon, threatening further attacks.
According to police, the four black-clad thieves fled into the taxi with the figures, but were forced to leave the cab and made off on foot after the driver refused to move.
The source said the victim caught up and put up a struggle with the robbers, with three of the stolen boxes falling to the floor. The perpetrators eventually fled with one Mickey Mouse figure before officers were called in.
Police mounted a search, but no arrests were made.
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The source said the four culprits were thought to be aged between 25 and 30. Police are reviewing surveillance footage to identify them.
A force spokeswoman said the stolen figure was worth about HK$50,000. She added that the victim was unhurt in the incident.
In the first nine months of the year, police handled 56 robberies across the city, down 43.4 per cent from 99 cases logged in the same period last year.
