The Public Security Police (PSP) apprehended two men from the Chinese mainland on Saturday for stealing from an offering box in a temple, PSP spokeswoman Cheong Im Sim said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspects as a 44-year-old male and his 47-year-old brother, both surnamed Chen and claiming to be jobless.
According to Cheong, the Public Security Police (PSP) received a report on Saturday from a male tourist who witnessed the duo stealing money from the donation box of a temple on Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira (柯維納馬路) in Taipa. The duo noticed that the tourist had spotted them and immediately fled the scene, failing to steal from the offering box. The police confirmed that if the theft had been successful, the temple would have lost about 5,400 patacas.
Through their citywide CCTV surveillance footage, the police identified the Chens as the suspects and apprehended them on Saturday in Rua da Felicidade (르징劤쌍), seizing various currencies totalling 12,000 patacas, along with a tape measure, flashlight, wooden sticks, double-sided tape, and a metal piece attached with a rope and covered in double-sided tape.
Under questioning, the younger brother admitted to stealing money from the collection box using homemade tools both on Friday and Saturday, while his elder brother was tasked with keeping watch nearby. The younger brother told the police that they had stolen over a thousand patacas from the box on Friday, claiming that during their second attempt on Saturday, they were spotted by a passer-by and so were unable to steal any money.
However, the elder brother denied any involvement in the crime.
Cheong added that the younger brother has a criminal record related to stealing from a temple’s offering box last year in Macau.
The duo have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing theft charges.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows PSP officers escorting the two theft suspects into a police station.
