Mask Heists Heat Up in Hong Kong
When the COVID‑19 outbreak turned every street corner into a battlefield for respirators, the crime scene got a new flavor: stealing face masks. One night, a 33‑year‑old suspect was nabbed by the police, but a second still stays on the run.
How the Heist Unfolded
A driver told the police that his sedan’s back‑seat window was smashed on Feb 11, and that the eight boxes of N95 masks. Those boxes originally held 160 masks – all gone.
- Police checked the CCTV footage, spotted the culprit, and arrested him in Sheung Shui.
- Authorities say a second suspect was identified and that they’ll “give it their all to bring him to justice.”
More Mask Thieves on the Move
It wasn’t an isolated incident. Hong Kong’s mask shortage sparked a wave of youthful crimes:
- Feb 11, Monday night: A man lost 750 masks (worth HK$3,000) after leaving them at a Sham Shui Po corner.
- Later that night, a woman reported over 1,000 masks stolen from her Tsim Sha Tsui commercial unit.
- On Jan 31, a businesswoman’s online‑store warehouse was robbed of 25,000 masks.
- When a Kowloon company announced mask sales on Feb 5, thousands queued overnight.
- Rumours of shortages sent people into a frenzy, hoarding staples like rice, toilet paper, bleach, and disinfectant.
Health Twist
By Feb 12, Hong Kong registered 50 confirmed COVID‑19 cases and one death. The panic over masking continues as the city braces for more waves.
