The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local man on Tuesday for stealing construction materials worth 860,000 patacas, PJ spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a special press conference yesterday.
Ho identified the suspect as a 40-year-old construction worker surnamed Ian.
According to Ho, the police received two reports on November 1 and November 25 from a local man who said that two batches of building materials belonging to his company, stored in a vacant area near the Taipa Ferry Terminal, had vanished. The first batch included nine steel plates, each weighing about two tonnes. The second batch contained seven tools, comprising three 8-metre-long pile-driving machine columns and four 6-metre-long piling hydraulic support shelters. Suspecting that someone had stolen them, the victim reported a total loss of 865,000 patacas to the police.
Ho noted that between mid-October and mid-December, Ian had stolen the construction materials on four occasions. He claimed to be the owner of the materials and sold them for 70,000 patacas to two local hardware and recycling stores, arranging for those stores to use vehicles and tools to pick up the stolen materials.
The police identified Ian as the suspect and apprehended him near his flat in the northern district on Tuesday. The police recovered some of the stolen construction materials from the recycling stores, valued at over 20,000 patacas.
Ho said that Ian had previously been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on October 2 for his involvement in a case of cable theft.
Ian was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of theft and fraud.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded theft suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
