Hong Kong police hunting robber in HK$370,000 bank hold-up zero in on estate

Hong Kong police officers in tactical gear have been deployed at a major housing estate in a manhunt for a robber who held up a Hang Seng Bank branch with a knife and injured an employee before fleeing with HK$370,000 (US$47,180).

Images seen by the Post show officers in tactical gear at block 50 of City One, a private estate in Sha Tin, on Monday. Several unmarked police vans are parked nearby.

Officers from the elite tactical unit, the Flying Tigers, were reportedly deployed at the location. Authorities have not disclosed whether the suspect has been arrested.

A source said police earlier suspected that the robber was hiding in a City One flat – about 400 metres (1,300 feet) from the scene of the hold-up – and officers had been sent there as part of the manhunt. But the insider said the suspect was not found in the flat during the search.

The robber, who was wearing a surgical mask and cap, entered the bank branch alone at Fortune City One shopping centre on Ngan Shing Street in Sha Tin at about 4.43pm, initially sitting near counter No 4, a police source said.

At around 5pm, he took a butcher knife measuring 17.8cm (7 inches) out of a paper bag, grabbed the female worker from behind and held the weapon to her neck.