Hong Kong cat burglars hunted by police as kitty reunited with owner after it’s stolen from party room
- Security camera footage shows suspects carrying box out of venue at about 1.30am
- Police say it is possible pet owner did not lock the door properly when he left at 12.30am
An eight-month-old ragdoll cat was reunited with its owner about 12 hours after it was stolen from a party room in a Hong Kong commercial building in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police said they were still searching for three men who were caught on security cameras as they stole the pet.
The men were seen carrying a box from the 10th-floor flat used as a party room in Mong Kok City Centre on Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok at about 1.30am, a source familiar with the case said.
Police said the 36-year-old man who owns the pet and was in charge of the party room, returned to the flat at about 3am and found the cat missing.
He checked the security camera footage, discovered the theft and contacted police at about 3.30am.
The pet owner said the cat was found safe and well after lunchtime, but he did not give further details.
A police spokesman said it was possible the man did not lock the door properly when he left the flat at about 12.30am.
The owner told officers that the cat was worth about HK$6,000 (US$767).
Officers searched the area, but no arrests were made.
Police said one of the thieves was bald and wearing a black jacket and trousers. Another was wearing a yellow jacket and black trousers at the time of the theft. The third had a black jacket and blue jeans.
Theft is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Police handled 14,909 reports of theft across the city between January and October last year, down 6.3 per cent on the 15,905 cases logged in the same period of 2021.
