Manhunt on for three burglars who stole HK$8 million in valuables from Hong Kong jewellery store

2019-1-10

Gold necklace believed to be part of haul was found on pavement nearby

A citywide police search is under way for three burglars who broke into a Hong Kong jewellery shop and made off with an estimated HK$8 million (US$1 million) worth of valuables in the early hours of Thursday.

Officers were called to the ground-floor store on Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, soon after 4am when the shop's alarm went off. The three men had fled before police arrived.

It was the third burglary reported in Yuen Long district in 24 hours.

According to police, the store's rolling shutter had been prised open, and the shop had been ransacked.

"Jewellery and gold ornaments were stolen from the store," one police source said, adding that the stolen property had an initial estimated value of HK$8 million.

Police said a gold necklace believed to be part of the haul was found on the pavement at nearby Yu King Square.

Officers scouted the area, but no arrests were made.

On Wednesday, two offices on Fuk Hi Street in Yuen Long were burgled. A total of HK$232,000 was stolen, including HK$100,000 that was taken from two safes in one of the offices.

The break-ins came to light when staff arrived for work at about 7.45am on Wednesday, according to police.

According to official statistics, police handled 1,283 reports of burglary in the first 10 months of 2018, down 18 per cent compared with 1,569 cases in the same period in 2017.

Source: SCMP