Police call off burglary operation after embarrassing find

Police called into the scene of a suspected burglary in an upscale Happy Valley neighborhood successfully traced the potential culprit to a third-floor apartment in Blue Pool Road.

But all they found were a 13-year-old boy and a toy gun.

The officers quickly called off the operation after learning that the boy had just come from a war game with his paintball gun, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.

The Blue Pool Road neighborhood has been in a heightened state of alert after a burglar was arrested on Sunday.

A tenant in The Hampton, a seven-storey luxury flat at 45 Blue Pool Road, reported that her apartment had been ransacked, according to Apple Daily.

The woman said she lost some cash, jewelry and watches worth about HK$130,000 (US$16,750).

Police later arrested a mainlander with a two-way permit. Another suspect is at large.

On Monday, dozens of officers responded to a call about a suspected intruder at 43 Blue Pool Road.

Witnesses said the suspect was dressed in black and had a helmet on.

He was seen carrying what looked like a gun, the report said.

The police operation lasted more than two hours before the officers tracked their target whom they thought was the missing suspect in Sunday's break-in.

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