Hong Kong police hunt burglar after HK$150,000 in cash and valuables stolen from flat, marking third case of its kind over 10 days in same district
- All three cases in Sha Tin involved losses of more than HK$100,000 each; no arrests made
- Officers separately detain three men from mainland over HK$13,000 in valuables stolen from Tsing Yi home
Hong Kong police were on Monday hunting a burglar after more than HK$150,000 (US$19,100) in cash and valuables were stolen from a flat in the New Territories at the weekend, marking the third such break-in of its kind in Sha Tin district over 10 days.
Two earlier cases reported on April 13 and last Friday involved more than HK$3.27 million in watches and jewellery taken from two flats in a private housing estate in the Fo Tan area.
The latest case was reported soon after 11pm on Sunday when a 54-year-old man returned to his Merry Court flat on Sha Tin Heights Road in the Tin Sum area of the district and found his home had been ransacked.
“Initial investigation showed two handbags worth HK$50,000 and jewellery estimated to be worth HK$80,000 were stolen along with HK$25,000 in cash from the flat,” a police spokesman said.
According to the force, security footage captured a black-clad man in a balaclava involved in the raid. Officers searched the area, but no arrests were made.
It was the second burglary case in the month in the same estate. The force said HK$150,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from another flat on April 13.
Separately, the force arrested three men from mainland China on Saturday shortly after they allegedly stole HK$13,000 worth of valuables from a public housing flat at Cheung On Estate in Tsing Yi.
Police said the three were believed to be linked to another five burglary cases involving HK$350,000 in valuables and cash stolen from five flats in Central, Wan Chai and Eastern district between April 5 and 20.
In Hong Kong, burglary is punishable by up to 14 years in jail under the Theft Ordinance.
Last year, police handled 886 reports of burglary across the city, down nearly 40 per cent from 1,472 cases logged in 2021. According to the force, last year’s 43 per cent detection rate was the highest in the past 46 years.
When announcing the crime figures for 2022, police in February said the number of robbery and burglary cases was the lowest since records began in 1969.
Police last year logged 77 reports of robberies, down 37 per cent from the 123 reported in 2021.
