Two suspects arrested after Hong Kong man was assaulted and HK$800,000 Patek Philippe watch stolen

Hong Kong police have arrested two men on suspicion of street robbery after a businessman was punched, kicked and robbed of a Patek Philippe watch worth HK$800,000 (US$102,411) by four people outside a shopping mall in the New Territories.

Senior Inspector Cheung Man-tik of the Tsuen Wan District Crime Squad said on Tuesday that the 30-year-old victim was assaulted outside Lik Sang Square, Wun Tung Street in Tsuen Wan, at around 8pm on June 28.

He added that the four robbers stole the luxury watch, a handbag and a mobile phone as well as HKD 3,000 in cash from the victim and fled in a car driven by a fifth man.

Police said the stolen items were worth a total of HKD809,000.

The businessman suffered minor injuries but did not require medical treatment at the hospital, police said.

Police arrested the two men, aged 27 and 28, on Sunday after checking CCTV footage and identifying the suspects. Police also seized a car used in the robbery.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested persons planned the robbery after an argument over money with the victim,” Cheung said.

He added that further arrests were not ruled out as the investigation was still ongoing.

A source close to the case said the watch had not been found and police were still searching for at least three other men in connection with the case.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the two suspects were still being held for questioning.

The senior inspector said police would spare no effort to bring all suspects to justice, warning that theft carried a penalty of up to life in prison.

In the first five months of this year, police handled 36 reports of theft across the city, a 28% drop from 50 cases recorded in the same period in 2023.