Trio arrested for aggravated theft at local shop

Three Indonesian men have been arrested on charges of aggravated theft after allegedly stealing 50,000 patacas from a local shop near the Gongbei border. The suspects, identified as Andre, 47, Bayu, 52, and Santoni, 49, were apprehended by local authorities on July 14 following a thorough investigation.

According to the police report, the incident occurred around 8:25 p.m. on July 13, 2024, when the shop owners reported a bag containing 50,000 patacas had gone missing. The owners immediately contacted the police, who launched an investigation to track down the perpetrators.

After tracing the suspects’ movements, the police arrested Andre and Bayu at their residential unit in the Central District on July 14. During the search, the authorities confiscated the clothes the suspects were allegedly wearing during the theft, as well as a sum of money totaling 26,000 patacas in various currencies, including Hong Kong dollars, RMB and US dollars.

Later that day, the police apprehended the third suspect, Santoni, as he was preparing to leave the city via the Macau-Hong Kong-Zhuhai Bridge. Through their investigation, the police revealed that on the night of the incident, the three suspects had gone to the shop in the North District, with Andre and Santoni guarding the entrance while Bayu allegedly stole the shopkeeper’s bag.

After the theft, they fled the scene separately, then met again nearby to take a taxi together to leave the area. Santoni later went to a casino and lost a portion of the stolen money. All three suspects have admitted to their involvement in the crime, though they claimed they had only stolen 12,500 patacas each, for a total of 37,500 patacas, which is significantly less than the 50,000 patacas reported missing by the shop owners.

The police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact amount stolen and whether the suspects were part of a larger criminal activity.

The suspects, identified as tourists, resided in a residential area around the time of the incident.

The three suspects are currently in custody and facing charges of aggravated theft. The case has been handed over to the public prosecutor’s office for further legal proceedings. Victoria Chan