A Hong Kong man, who was caught trying to steal two Rolexes from a Shenzhen shopping centre, claims he only did so to pay off his credit card debt from bankrolexing his girlfriend’s luxurious lifestyle, Apple Daily reports.
Last Friday, the 21-year-old, surnamed Wu, apparently tried to run out of the TheMixC shopping centre in Shenzhen with two Rolexes worth RMB131,600 (HKD157,232) and RMB227,500 (HKD271,916), which he had asked the salesperson to let him try on for size.
CCTV footage shows that Wu managed to get approximately 100 metres away from the shop, before he was stopped by security guards. Wu-ps.
When he was questioned by police, Wu said that he had racked up over HKD100,000 in credit card debt from treating his girlfriend to designer goods, an iPhone, and luxury holidays over the last year or two.
The 21-year-old reportedly said that he only saw two options for himself: “to commit suicide, or to commit a crime”. Wu claims he chose to steal in mainland China, to avoid bringing shame on his family in Hong Kong due to “overwhelming media coverage”.
According to Apple Daily, Wu could be facing up to seven years’ imprisonment.
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