Watch and learn… to be careful. CCTV footage published by local media gives a first-hand look at how sneak thieves prowling a market in Kwun Tong operate.
It shows how two men are able to cut a gold bracelet from a woman’s wrist while she’s distracted and shopping for vegetables at a street-side store at the intersection between Shui Wo Street and Shung Yan Street.
The victim, a 56-year-old woman surnamed Leung, was inspecting the produce around 10am on Saturday morning when the pair snuck up from behind, Apple Daily reports.
In the video, the suspect, wearing white, can be seen standing behind Leung — the woman with the pink top and short hair — holding a black cloth bag and edging closer to his target, while his accomplice, wearing a black cap, waits behind and keeps watch.
It takes the suspect about seven seconds to cut the bracelet, which sends its valuable gold beads cascading onto the sidewalk.
The two men can be spotted crouching on the ground to pick up some of the beads, as a butcher from the next stall looks at the two men, appearing to notice something’s up.
The butcher, surnamed Ho, told Apple Daily he saw the two men acting suspiciously and asked out loud “what are you guys picking up from the ground?”
He told the newspaper that the two men didn’t respond, but he noticed that they were picking up gold beads.
It was at this point that Leung turned around, and Ho asked her if anything was missing.
According to on.cc, the bracelet was worth about HK$4,000 (US$510). Police are searching for the men.
A police spokesperson confirmed to Coconuts HK that they are looking for two men of medium build, about 1.75 meters-tall and aged between 30 to 40-years-old.
