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Suspect in Hong Kong knifepoint bank robbery arrested after fleeing over border

Man allegedly held knife to bank employee’s neck and made off with cash totalling HK$382,000

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Hong Kong police have taken custody of the suspect. Photo: HKPF

A man suspected to have robbed a Hong Kong bank with a knife and injured a female employee before making off with HK$382,000 (US$48,700) has been arrested in mainland China and handed over to city authorities.

Police said on Tuesday the 49-year-old jobless man was detained in Shenzhen and handed over to Hong Kong police at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint at about 9.30pm.

His girlfriend was also arrested after she returned to the city on suspicion of assisting an offender. The 34-year-old clerk met up with the man shortly after the hold-up and stayed with him during their alleged escape, according to Superintendent Iu Wing-kan of the New Territories South regional headquarters.

The suspected robber was believed to have fled to his flat in City One, a private estate in Sha Tin, after allegedly holding up a nearby branch of Hang Seng Bank on Monday afternoon.

A source earlier said members of the elite police tactical unit, the Flying Tigers, were searching for the man at block 50 of City One. Images seen by the Post showed officers in tactical gear entering the block, while several unmarked police vans were parked nearby.

According to police, a “suitable unit” was deployed to the residential block after officers realised that individuals unrelated to the case were also present in the flat. The arrangement was made considering the suspect’s possible reaction and the safety of the concerned individuals.

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