Hong Kong police use CCTV footage to track down, arrest woman, 73, suspected of stealing gold ornaments worth HK$41,000
- Preliminary investigation reveals suspect stuffed three gold ornaments into bag before escaping goldsmith shop in taxi
- ‘Detectives carried out a thorough investigation by checking CCTV footage along the woman’s escape route and eventually tracked her down,’ insider says
Hong Kong police have arrested a 73-year-old woman suspected of stealing gold ornaments worth HK$41,000 (US$5,242) after tracking her down for 25km (15.5 miles) from Kowloon to the New Territories using security camera footage.
Officers were called to a goldsmith shop on Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan at around 11am on Monday after the woman, who posed as a customer, made off with a pair of bracelets and a necklace.
A source familiar with the case on Tuesday said preliminary investigation revealed that the woman stuffed the valuables into her bag while staff’s attention was diverted.
“She left a bank card on the counter telling an employee that she was going out to find her domestic helper nearby,” the insider said.
According to the source, police are investigating how the elderly woman obtained the card, which belongs to a third party.
The staff called police after finding out the three gold ornaments had disappeared and the “customer” did not return.
Officers pored over security camera footage and discovered that the elderly woman fled in a taxi near the shop.
