Staff at a Sheung Shui pharmacy secured a man to some bamboo scaffolding with a sign saying “I am a thief” after he allegedly tried to make off with HKD1,500 of milk powder.
We wonder if they’ve been getting ideas from Nathaniel Hawthorne… or perhaps that one episode of Game of Thrones. (Shame! Shame! Shame!)
Apple Daily reports that a man tried to flee a pharmacy on San Hong Street with a basket containing six cans of baby milk formula, just before 2pm on Friday.
Staff at the pharmacy managed to chase the man down, and subsequently bound him to bamboo scaffolding with some plastic wrap with the “I am a thief sign” around his neck.
The alleged theft was reported to the police at around 2:26pm, after which a 43-year-old Vietnamese man was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.
Photos of the baby formula bandit were then posted onto a community group for Sheung Shui residents, where they were liked and shared by thousands.
Barrister Wai Hung-zi said that the maximum penalty for false imprisonment is a seven-year prison sentence. If the alleged thief is acquitted of his charges, the staff who were involved in detaining and hanging the sign on him could reportedly be liable to civil defamation charges.
The case has been referred to the Tai Po District Crime Investigation Team.
Got a tip? Send it to us at hongkong@coconuts.co
