Hong Kong police arrest 2 for stealing HK$200,000 using tampered cheques
Woman, 31, and man, 21, broke into postboxes in various industrial areas and used eraser to alter cheques’ payee details, police say
Hong Kong police have arrested a man and a woman for allegedly stealing cheques from postboxes and tampering with them to obtain about HK$200,000 (US$25,480) from victims’ bank accounts over a four-month period.
The force said on Monday that the arrests were made last Friday in Wong Tai Sin and Tuen Mun by officers from the Kwai Tsing district crime squad and the Kwai Chung special duty team, respectively.
The 31-year-old woman and 21-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of theft and using false instruments.
Police received reports from multiple residents whose bank accounts had been debited via altered cheques between March and July this year.
Investigations found that the suspects had allegedly stolen cheques from postboxes at industrial buildings across various districts.
They then used an eraser to alter the payee details and amounts on the cheques before depositing them into their own bank accounts.