Robbers attempt to steal backpack with HK$4 million after knife attack outside Whampoa MTR station in Hong Kong

2019-5-2

One assailant was subdued at the scene by passers-by, but police are hunting for his accomplice

Incident occurred in broad daylight at busy road junction

Two robbers attacked a man with a knife outside an MTR station in Hong Kong on Thursday and made off with his backpack containing HK$4 million, but pedestrians subdued one of them after a chase and all the money was recovered.

A hunt for the other robber was still under way on Thursday night.

The incident occurred before 5.30pm outside Whampoa MTR station, at the junction of Hung Hom Road and Tak Man Street. The two suspects are non-Chinese.

The victim, a 53-year-old man who was carrying the HK$4 million (US$512,820) in his backpack after changing yuan at a money exchange shop on nearby Tak Man Street, suffered cuts to his left lower leg and abrasions on his right arm, Chief Inspector Samuel Lui Sze-ho of Kowloon City district said.

The suspects ran towards Whampoa Garden after the robbery, but one of them was caught by three pedestrians - an off-duty police sergeant and two Pizza Hut workers - on Tak On Street after a chase of several hundred metres.

All the money was recovered, along with a 30cm (12-inch) beef knife in a backpack of one of the robbers. The other suspect managed to escape.

The victim was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment. His condition was stable. The three pedestrians were unhurt.

Lui said the arrested man was an Indian who held a recognisance form and had been in the city for three years. The form is an identification document which prohibits him from taking employment.

Police said the suspect at large was a South Asian in his 20s to 30s. He had a beard and was wearing a cap, black and grey long-sleeved T-shirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to contact police at 3661 7981.

Kowloon City district crime squad was investigating.

Source: SCMP