A 39-year-old local resident stands accused of at least three thefts involving clothing and shoes which owners claimed to be worth around 32,000 patacas, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) has revealed.
The case began with two complaints to the PSP from two different people living in the same building in the Avenida Marginal do Patane who claimed to have had several personal items stolen from the front of their housing units on May 29 and 30.
The PSP began their investigation by reviewing the surveillance footage from the building. They identified the man and on June 1 finally detained him at his home at the Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida.
Taken in for questioning, the man (who told police that he worked in a mobile phone repair and maintenance company) admitted to the thefts, and also added that he had been responsible for at least one other theft at an apartment building located at the Avenida do Conselheiro Borja.
The police also found at his home several of the stolen goods including women’s clothes, shoes, and underwear.
The man explained the thefts by saying that he was fond of cross-dressing, adding that he would keep the items that fitted him and dispose of those that would not.
It is not clear for how long the man had been perpetrating such thefts.
The police also noted that the thefts were only possible because the victims had been storing such private possessions in the common areas of the residential buildings.
The case was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation, which has charged the man with three counts of theft.
