Three Hong Kong flats targeted in HK$850,000 blitz, as burglaries soar during months of protests
- Thieves strike at homes in Causeway Bay and Lam Tin, where they make off with cash and valuables
- Burglaries are up 90 per cent as the force diverts resources to handling demonstrations
More than HK$850,000 (US$108,600) worth of cash and valuables were stolen from three homes amid a 90 per cent surge in burglaries during the Hong Kong protests.
Thieves struck at two flats in the same Causeway Bay residential block overnight on Thursday after appearing to scale several floors on the outside of the building, before another burglary came to light at a flat in Lam Tin on Friday morning.
A tenant of Pearl City Mansion in Paterson Street returned home to find his 11th-floor flat had been locked from the inside, according to police, who were contacted at 12.30am.
After gaining entry to his Causeway Bay accommodation with the help of a locksmith, the 53-year-old man found it had been ransacked, police said.
They added a watch and some jewellery were stolen, along with local and foreign currency, worth about HK$270,000 in total.
While investigating, officers were told by a 38-year-old man that his 13th-floor had also been burgled and HK$249,000 in cash and valuables were stolen. Police said the bedroom window had been prised open.
The investigation is being handled by detectives from the Wan Chai criminal investigation unit. No one has been arrested.
About six hours later, police were called to the public housing flat at Ping Tin Estate in Lam Tin when its tenant, 53, found HK$350,000 and 10,000 yuan (HK$11,100) had been stolen from one of its drawers. The Kwun Tong criminal investigation unit is handling the case.