Duo arrested over RMB11,000 mobile phone theft

Police authorities have arrested two men concerning the theft of a mobile phone worth RMB11,000 from a store in a hotel along the Cotai strip.

Both suspects in their fifties, were identified as mainland residents holding travel permits for Hong Kong and Macau.

The incident occurred on Oct. 1, when a female tourist in her thirties, who also held a travel permit for Hong Kong and Macau, reported the mobile phone theft.

According to the victim, she had placed the phone in a shopping basket while shopping, but when she checked the basket later, the phone had vanished, and she immediately notified the police.

Upon verification of the hotel surveillance cameras footage, the police observed two men, both in their fifties, loitering in the area where the theft occurred.

The footage showed one of the men keeping watch from a distance while the other approached the victim from behind and discreetly placed the mobile phone into his trousers pocket before the two men quickly left the scene.

Following this lead, the police received another report from the hotel’s security guard regarding the two suspects on Oct. 3. That led to the locating and arresting of the two men.

During questioning, the men denied any involvement in the theft, but the police discovered suspicious tools on each suspect, including a long pair of tongs and some foil, tools often associated with pickpocketing and theft of products protected with alarms.

The police believe the two men are responsible for the theft, and they have referred the case to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation and accusation.

Both men are suspected of violating Article 197 of the Macau Penal Code whose penal framework establishes a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment or an equivalent in a fine. Victoria Chan