A 10-year-old boy had his phone taken by a man posing as a plainclothes police officer, it has been reported.
According to Sing Tao Daily (as translated by EJI), the boy had just left school by himself at 10.30am on Saturday when he was accosted by the man near Nam Cheong MTR station in Sham Shui Po.
The man, who is reported to be in his 40s, stopped the boy at Fu Cheong shopping centre, and produced a fake police warrant card (like psychic paper from Doctor Who?) to search his schoolbag.
The faux fuzz then reportedly forced the boy to go to a nearby construction site, looked through his personal effects, took his smartphone and scarpered.
A security guard at the construction site called the police after he heard the young boy crying for help. Police confirmed that the boy was not harmed, but the thief got away with his phone, which was worth HKD2,000.
The incident has been classified as theft and impersonation of a police officer. No arrests have been made.
On Dec. 21, a 41-year-old man reported that he’d had cash worth HKD280 stolen from him by a fake police officer at Tung Chau Street Park, also in Sham Shui Po.
Ying Wa Primary School, where the now-phoneless 10-year-old studies, circulated a notice warning parents about the incidents, and telling pupils to stay cautious (of the faux-thorities). Students were also told to avoid using their phones on the way to and from school, advice which should be as warmly received as a surprise test.
