Agile angler thief bags 11-story catch

An imaginative thief with a fishing rod stole a handbag and about HK$900 from outside the window of a flat at an 11-story building in Sham Shui Po.

The thief was caught on tape using a long rod to hook a handbag sitting on top of a sofa inside the flat.

The theft happened at Tung Ming Mansion. The thief is believed to have scaled bamboo scaffolding erected for renovation work.

The video, shared on a Facebook group, showed the agile thief took about 40 seconds to lift the handbag while the occupant of the flat was present.

As he "airlifted" the handbag to the window, a woman walked out of a room and discovered the catch. She is heard shouting at the thief, demanding he return the handbag. But to no avail. She called the cops.

The bag contained cash, credit cards and personal papers. No arrests have been made yet.