Hong Kong police arrest 1 of 2 suspects over HK$250,000 knifepoint robbery, hunt accomplice after finding stolen vehicle
- Man arrested on suspicion of robbery and car theft, but accomplice remains at large
- Pair robbed man and woman at knifepoint in Lok Ma Chau on Wednesday night, stealing their car and cash; police find vehicle damaged and abandoned
The force on Thursday said officers were still looking for the accomplice and the money taken in the Wednesday night robbery.
The two men robbed a 34-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman at knifepoint on Kwu Tung Road in Lok Ma Chau at around 9.43pm and stole their vehicle, police said.
2 more arrested over 37-second, HK$39 million robbery of Hong Kong watch store
“The two assailants threatened the victims with the weapons and stole the woman’s Toyota car that was carrying HK$250,000 in cash,” a source familiar with the case said.
He said the two suspects fled in the stolen car before officers arrived.
Police later found the car abandoned near Yin Kong Tsuen in Sheung Shui. The site is about 1km (0.6 miles) from where the vehicle was stolen.
The source said investigations suggested the robbers dumped the vehicle after slamming it into a lamp post, with the car sustaining serious damage to its front.
Police said officers later arrested a 38-year-old man in Fanling on suspicion of robbery and car theft.
Hong Kong police arrest 3 mainland Chinese over thefts ‘as they try to flee city’
The suspect complained of feeling unwell and was sent to North District Hospital in Sheung Shui for treatment, according to the force.
Detectives from the border criminal investigation unit are handling the case.
Separately, police arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with another robbery in which three perpetrators stole HK$90,000 from a 30-year-old man in a failed abduction in Yuen Long.
The culprits threatened the victim with weapons in an attempt to force him into a car, before allegedly assaulting him when he refused to obey. Police said the trio stole his bag carrying the money and fled in their own vehicle.
In the first 10 months of last year, police handled 85 reports of robbery, a 32.8 per cent increase from 64 cases logged in the same period in 2022.
