Three arrested as police bust theft ring targeting warehouses, malls

The Judiciary Police have dismantled part of a theft syndicate believed to be behind a series of burglaries targeting warehouses and shopping premises in the northern districts, arresting three suspects while four others remain at large.

According to authorities, the group allegedly stole goods from both an industrial building warehouse and storage facilities inside a shopping mall.

Two victims reported combined losses of about MOP320,000. The stolen items included 31 packages of dried fish maw valued at roughly MOP310,000, which had been stored in a warehouse, and two boxes of cigars taken from a mall storage locker.

Investigators identified a 28-year-old mainland Chinese resident as the suspected mastermind behind the two cases.

Police said the individual coordinated the thefts and arranged for the stolen goods to be transported and hidden.

A 31-year-old local man allegedly assisted by driving a private vehicle used to move the items to a rented residential unit in the northern area.

Another local man, aged 43, is suspected of receiving HKD20,000 for his role, which included breaking into storage sites, disabling surveillance equipment and helping carry the stolen goods. Police intercepted the three suspects near the residential unit and at the Border Gate checkpoint.