5 Filipino tourists nabbed for pickpocketing in Admiralty

Eastern Law Courts Building in Sai Wan Ho

The police arrested five Filipino tourists after they were caught trying to steal the wallet of a South Korean tourist in Admiralty.

The suspects—Z.S. Aviles, R.D. Linambos, A. C. Gerodias, M. M. Camacho, and D.N. Tagalo—were arrested at the Admiralty MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station on the morning of April 24.

They allegedly surrounded the female South Korean tourist as she was going down an escalator. One of the Filipino women then tried to take the victim’s wallet from her bag, which they had opened.

But the wallet was chained to the victim’s bag and so the female culprit tried to put it back. The police then arrested them.

It turned out that an undercover police officer, wearing in civilian clothes, was already monitoring the suspects due to their “suspicious behaviour.” Investigators later discovered that the suspects were staying in a guesthouse in Jordan.

The suspects–except for Aviles who was sick–appeared before the Eastern Magistrates Courts in Sai Wan Ho on May 3 after investigators decided to pursue attempted theft charges against them.

They asked Eastern Principal Magistrate Peter Law to allow them to post bail but their petition was denied.