Man Arrested in Stealing Second-Hand Luxury Goods

The alleged thief was caught in Bangkok, and sent back to HK

When the economy is faltering, there are criminals who turn to stealing to make some money.

Robberies in Hong Kong are rare, and if they happen it's usually in jewellery stores. But recently one thief got creative and hit a store selling second-hand luxury goods.

Some of the 14 stolen Hermes handbags

On Wednesday a mainland Chinese man entered a shop on Hart Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui where he allegedly rendered a female store employee unconscious and tied her up. 

He then allegedly made off with 14 pre-owned Hermes bags, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, and two mobile phones totalling almost HK$3 million (US$382,170).

One wonders how he managed to carry 14 Hermes bags outside on the street without attracting attention.

The robber then fled to Bangkok and was held in custody by the Thai authorities before he was sent back to Hong Kong. Most of the stolen goods were recovered. 

This is not the first time a store selling pre-loved luxury items was robbed.

In November last year, thieves broke into a shop selling consigned luxury brand goods in a grade A office building in Central. They stole 66 Hermes handbags worth a total of HK$10 million in five minutes.

Last November HK$10M in goods was stolen

The store had to compensate all the clients whose bags were consigned were either stolen or damaged.

While selling second-hand luxury goods is a good business, the threat of thieves stealing expensive merchandise is not for the faint-hearted. 

More Cameras to Fight Crime in HK

Tang says "all walks of life" did not object to more CCTVs

In another sign that Hong Kong is becoming more aligned with the mainland, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping Keung wants to further beef up security in the city, which means adding between 2,000 to 2,500 surveillance cameras in public places from next year.

"I think this is a natural trend. In fact a lot of other jurisdictions, they are using it already," he said, citing the UK has around 7.3 million surveillance cameras, and Singapore plans to increase the number by 200,000 by 2030.

The installment of more CCTV cameras is in a bid to combat crime. Tang explained in a pilot scheme, 15 cameras were set up in Mong Kok to detect 13 kinds of crimes, but did not specify which ones they were. 

Some 2,000-2,500 cameras installed from 2025

Tang said the cameras will have facial recognition technology which will help in robbery cases.

"Eventually, when we are able to find the whereabouts of the culprit through a number of CCTV [cameras], it will be a few hours later -- we know with AI technology, we can instantly identify the culprit," the security minister said.

Tang said adding more surveillance cameras in Hong Kong would not compromise personal privacy, adding residents and businesses "from all walks of life" did not object to them.

"All our installation of the CCTVs, it's in full compliance with our privacy law," he said.

People are too busy trying to keep their heads above water to think about surveillance cameras, even though it is yet another thing to be aware of.

As for fighting crime, the proof will be in the numbers... 

10-Year-Old Involved in HK Robbery

Police investigate a robbery in a luxury watch shop in TST

Post-Covid, Hong Kong's economy has not bounced back as hoped, and some people are financially desperate. This has led to a rise in robberies, where teams of people run into a jewellery store and smash-and-grab whatever they can and then leave in seconds.

But yesterday's news was even more shocking -- a 10-year-old school boy was allegedly involved in one of the latest heists.

One suspect is a 10-year-old schoolboy (hooded)

He was arrested for allegedly taking part in a HK$3.7 million robbery (US$472,560), where he may have used a sledgehammer to smash display counters at a luxury watch store. He was allegedly paid HK$5,000 to take part in the smash-and-grab gang raid on a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, where they took off with 20 luxury watches.

"The investigation revealed that he skipped school on that day and joined the gang to commit the robbery," a source familiar with the case said.

The boy even wore his school uniform, though he had a jacket or pullover on top.

Originally from Pakistan, he is quite tall and big for his age, at 1.7 metres tall and weighing 132 pounds (60kg). The boy came here in 2018 to join his parents. 

The police believe a 14-year-old was also involved in the robbery who allegedly carried a knife during the incident and grabbed some of the expensive watches.

The trio allegedly stole 20 luxury watches

It is believed the third person is a 19-year-old man who was found near Kowloon Peak in Sai Kung, and officers found a backpack with the stolen watches in the bushes nearby. The authorities said all the items had been recovered.

How shocking and sad that kids are involved in robberies. Not much is known about their backgrounds, but it could be various reasons from financial desperation to feelings of neglect or helplessness, or being led astray.

It will all be revealed later in court, and many will be following this case as the investigation progresses.