Hong Kong police arrest 2 for stealing HK$200,000 via tampered cheques

South China Morning Post

2 days ago

Hong Kong police have arrested a man and a woman for allegedly stealing cheques from postboxes and tampering with them to obtain about HK$200,000 (US$25,480) from victims' bank accounts over a four-month period.
The force said on Monday that the arrests were made last Friday in Wong Tai Sin and Tuen Mun by officers from Kwai Tsing district crime squad and Kwai Chung special duty team, respectively.
The 31-year-old woman and 21-year-old man, both local residents, were arrested on suspicion of theft and using false instruments.
Police received reports from multiple residents whose bank accounts had been debited via altered cheques between March and July this year.
Investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly stole cheques from postboxes in industrial buildings across various districts.
They then used an eraser to alter the payee details and amounts on the cheques before depositing them into their own bank accounts.