CRIME | Dogs thrown to death from public housing complex

The bodies of three puppies were discovered yesterday lying on the Edifício do Lago fourth block terrace of the public housing complex in Taipa, according to police.
However, a captioned picture that has been widely circulated on social media showing two dead puppies indicated that a total of eight animals were thrown to their deaths by someone at the residential building over the weekend.
The puppies’ tragic death has sparked massive outrage on the Internet as netizens clamored to bring the culprit to justice. Yet the brutal incident once again shed light on the city’s insufficient animal rights legislation. Currently, the law protecting animals from physical abuse is under review by the first standing committee of the Legislative Assembly.
“We don’t exclude the human factors, yet there is no witness or surveillance on the scene to confirm the cause of the deaths,” said the police representative, who also told the media that the perpetrator was not punishable by any laws. Furthermore, no one so far has been identified by police authorities as responsible for the brutal killings.
Separately, the police announced yesterday that they are conducting an investigation into a mainland website. This follows reports from staff from the Macau Museum last Friday, which claimed that the site was using the museum’s official name to launch a deceptive auction, which allegedly aimed to swindle money from participants.
According to a Judiciary Police officer, the museum officials received an email from a local citizen that evening seeking to verify the authenticity of the event outlined on the website, which called for valuable Chinese artifacts in a collection activity endorsed by the city’s official museum. After being alerted by the mail enquiry, the staff then sought a police investigation into the website, which was later identified as originating from Guangdong province, based on its ID.
The police added that so far no loss in connection to the fake auction has been reported, while the Cultural Affairs Bureau has already issued a statement clarifying that no endorsement has been granted to the company. They also warned the public to remain vigilant. Staff reporter

domestic helpers suspected of theft

The Judiciary Police have conducted a manhunt for two foreign domestic helpers who allegedly ransacked their local employers’ residence and took away several valuable items of jewellery, as well as cash and accessories. The stolen items are worth MOP690,000 in total. News of the crime emerged as the closed-circuit camera installed in the flat revealed the theft to the victims, who then called the police.