A woman had a handbag stolen—specifically, fished—from a Sham Shui Po flat by a stealthy thief operating an extendable laundry grabber through the window.
Video shared by HK01 shows security camera footage, dated Sunday at around 2:30 pm, of the minimally invasive break-in. In the clip, a meters-long pole with a hook attached to the end reaches through a window on the 10th floor.
After about 40 seconds of feeling and poking around the sofa, the device manages to hook onto the shoulder strap of a handbag.
As the pull is being pulled out, it is spotted by a woman just as it is out the window. By then, it’s too late.
“Theft! Theft!” The woman yells as she sees the bag being airlifted out the apartment.
According to HK01, the incident occurred at Tung Ming Mansion, which has been under renovation since March and is currently fitted with scaffolding that the thief is believed to have scaled.
The woman was visiting relatives at the time. She lost about HK$900 (US$116) in cash, as well as her identification and credit cards. Police are investigating the case.
There have been reports of similar theft incidents in Sham Shui Po, HK01 said.
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