A sex worker was robbed at her one-woman brothel, then forced to take her clothes off so that she would not be able to call for help.
The robbery happened on Wednesday afternoon inside the Champagne Court in Tsim Sha Tsui, a building that is infamous for housing sex workers.
The sex worker – a woman in her thirties surnamed Cheung – heard a knock sometime between 3pm and 4pm, and opened the door to find a bearded man wearing glasses and holding a knife.
Cheung was pushed back into the flat, and the robber searched her room and took an iPhone 6 and HK$500 (US$64) cash.
Before he left the apartment, the robber then ordered Cheung to strip off her clothes so that she would not be able to run after him. Cheung then called police, who arrived at the building and searched the premises.
When asked by an Apple Daily reporter how she felt, Cheung replied: “If someone held a knife to your neck, wouldn’t you be scared? Even a fruit knife is scary!”
After reviewing the building’s CCTV footage, officers suspect the robber is the same man who robbed another sex worker on Carnavon Road in Tsim Sha Tsui a week ago, on.cc reports.
The victim in that incident – a 30-year-old woman surnamed Poon – was reportedly robbed at knifepoint by a man who used plastic cable ties to bind her hands, then stole a purse containing HK$3,600 (US$460).
Police are looking for a Cantonese-speaking Chinese man with a slim build.
Champagne Court is a 60-year-old building with a number of subdivided flats that are used as brothels. There are reportedly more than 20 brothels still operating there.
The building has been raided several times in the past year, and is also a gathering place for triads.
