28-year-old Moroccan man arrested over attempted phone snatchings and shop thefts

A 28-year-old Moroccan man has been arrested in connection with a series of attempted phone snatchings and shop thefts in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai and Central districts.

Police received reports on Wednesday (May 6) from three women aged 28 to 58, who said a man had attempted to snatch their mobile phones in the early hours of the morning along Leighton Road and Sing Woo Road in Happy Valley. The suspect allegedly failed to take the phones and fled.

The Wan Chai District Crime Squad took over the case after reviewing closed-circuit television footage and conducting follow-up investigations. Officers arrested the suspect later the same day at about 4pm in a hotel room on Queen’s Road East in Wan Chai on suspicion of attempted robbery. He is believed to be linked to all three cases.

Read more: Masked man attempts phone snatch in Causeway Bay, prompts safety warnings

Further investigation also linked him to four shop thefts reported between April 30 and May 6 in Wan Chai and Central. The stolen items, valued at about HK$19,000, included two Apple Watches and two pairs of sunglasses. Police said some of the stolen goods had been recovered.

The man was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital after reporting feeling unwell, but remained conscious.

He has since been charged with seven counts of theft and is due to appear at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on May 9.

 

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓