A 26-year-old man from Mongolia was arrested after he snatched a bag containing HK$10,000 worth of belongings from a 67-year-old visually impaired man in North Point on Saturday after pretending to assist him to a MTR station.

Eastern District Inspector Julian Leung said yesterday in a press conference that the police received a report at around 10.30am Saturday morning that a visually impaired elderly man was robbed in the Fortress Hill MTR station.

The suspect was a Mongolian man and holds a recognizance form, which is a temporary identification document that permits holders to stay in the SAR but prohibits them from taking employment.

Leung said the suspect first pretended to help the victim to the entrance of the station and then snatched his crossbody bag.

The bag contained the victim's identification card, two mobile phones with a total value of HK$3,700, an Octopus card, cash of about HK$3,500, and other personal belongings, he added.

After scrolling through CCTV footage nearby, the police found the suspect had also stolen a can of beer and a bar of chocolate, with a total value of HK$110, in a convenience store in Sai Ying Pun just hours before robbing the senior victim.

"We looked into a lot of CCTV footage and found that the suspect often wanders around Sai Ying Pun," Leung said, adding that the police then tracked down where he lives.

The suspect was arrested at his home on Sunday for robbery and theft. Police found the victim's belongings, as well as the clothes the suspect wore on the day he conducted the robbery.

The police warn people to obey the law.

"Any person who commits robbery, or an assault with intent to rob shall be guilty of an offense and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for life," Leung said.

He also warned that anyone who conducts theft could be sentenced up to 10 years in jail.

Leung said the police strongly condemns any act of bullying or crimes targeting vulnerable groups.

"Those behaviors are cold-blooded and shameless," Leung said, adding that police will spare no effort to bring suspects to justice in any relevant crimes.

He thanked merchants that allow police to check their CCTVs, saying: " Your assistance is a big help for the police to solve the case and bring justice back for victims."

Fake Samaritan arrested after robbing visually impaired man