Hong Kong police arrest 2 men over thefts targeting homeless people

Pair allegedly stole personal belongings such as cash, mobile phones, Octopus and bank cards, and identity documents

Hong Kong police have arrested two men in connection with a series of thefts targeting homeless people in Yau Tsim Mong district that involved about HK$142,000 (US$18,100) worth of stolen property.

Inspector Frankie Chiu of the district said on Saturday that police had begun to notice a rise in such thefts from early April and had launched an investigation.

“Through in-depth investigation, intelligence analysis and extensive review of CCTV, including cameras under the ‘SmartView’ scheme, we successfully identified two suspects linked to 17 theft cases in the district,” he said.

SmartView is the Hong Kong police’s territory-wide CCTV network that integrates public and private cameras for crime detection and investigation.

It was significantly expanded in 2023, with plans to install tens of thousands of cameras to scale up coverage across the city.

Police said the pair had allegedly targeted homeless individuals, stealing personal belongings such as cash, mobile phones, Octopus and bank cards, and identity documents.