Luxury handbag thief intercepted in Thailand after daring Hong Kong heist

The thief who robbed a second-hand handbag store in Tsim Sha Tsui on Wednesday was intercepted and deported by immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.

The suspect, surnamed So, had fled to Bangkok with the stolen goods – nearly HK$3 million dollars worth of Hermès bags and a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace – but was denied entry and deported back to Hong Kong.

According to the investigation, the suspect visited a second-floor luxury goods store in a building on Hart Avenue on Wednesday at around 1pm. 

After posing as a customer interested in purchasing a white Hermès handbag, the suspect allegedly used a towel to drug and restrain the 49-year-old shop owner's mother.

When the victim regained consciousness about an hour later, she discovered 14 Hermès handbags and two Van Cleef & Arpels necklaces missing from the store.

Hong Kong police identified the suspect and found that he had boarded a flight to Bangkok shortly after the robbery.

Through swift international cooperation, Hong Kong police alerted Thai immigration officials, who intercepted So at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Thai authorities recovered the entire stolen inventory - including all the luxury bags and bracelets, as well as various foreign currencies with a combined value exceeding 10 million Thai baht (approximately HK$2.96 million).

The suspect was deported back to Hong Kong, where police took him into custody on Thursday morning.