Hong Kong police arrest 2 women over 22 cases of theft at supermarkets, chain stores
- Police say duo believed to be part of crime group targeting outlets to steal and resell items such as medicine and health products
Hong Kong police have arrested two women in connection with at least 22 cases of theft at supermarkets and chain stores across the city over a seven-month period.
The force said on Friday that the two non-Chinese suspects, who held Hong Kong identity cards and were both 43 years old, were suspected of stealing HK$57,000 (US$7,300) worth of items, mainly medicine and health products.
Detectives from the Kowloon East regional crime unit launched investigations into shop thefts after the number of reports for such crimes rose to 4,415 between January and June of 2024 from 3,939 in the same period last year.
According to the force, the trend coincided with the growing popularity of self-service checkout machines in supermarkets and chain stores across the city.
Senior Inspector Ng Ming-fung said the investigations indicated some cases involved non-Chinese thieves operating within the same syndicate.
He said the group was believed to have targeted supermarkets and chain stores such as pharmacies to steal items that included medicine and health products.
“They targeted busy shops and typically worked alone or in pairs to commit the crimes,” Ng said. “Based on the types and quantities of stolen goods, police believed these items were not for personal use but were sold to non-Chinese residents or small-scale shops such as pharmacies.”