© Warton Li Police were called to the Sham Shui Po hotel during Sunday’s early hours. Photo: Warton Li

Police were called to the 29-year-old’s Sham Shui Po hotel room during Sunday’s early hours

But surveillance camera footage brought up inconsistencies in her statement, officers say

A mainland Chinese woman was arrested for misleading police on Monday, after claiming that two robbers posed as plain-clothes policemen checking on coronavirus-related quarantines to steal HK$10,000 from her Hong Kong hotel room.

Officers were called to the Lander Hotel on Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po shortly before 3am on Sunday after the 29-year-old called to report the theft.

The woman – who holds a two-way permit, a mainland-issued travel document used to enter the city – alleged that two men wearing face masks and impersonating police officers visited her for a random check on a quarantine order introduced over the coronavirus outbreak. According to police, she said that when they entered the room they stole HK$10,000 (US$1,290) from her.

Police said officers checked surveillance camera footage and found inconsistencies in the woman’s statement.

“In fact, no one impersonated a police officer and no random check was conducted in this case,” police said in a statement.

On Monday, police arrested the woman on suspicion of misleading officers, an offence with a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and a HK$5,000 fine.

The government’s quarantine scheme – brought in to contain the outbreak, which has already killed more than 1,000 people on the mainland – applies to all people entering Hong Kong from north of the border, and those who have been there within 14 days of their arrival in the city. Under it, locals will be confined to their homes for two weeks, while non-locals will stay at hotels or government quarantine centres.

Police said that during the quarantine period, uniformed officers will help Department of Health officials conduct random checks, and any accompanying plain-clothes officers would wear warrant cards for identification purposes.

“If in doubt, please report to the police immediately, the force said.

Separately, police were called to the junction of Pei Ho Street and Lai Chi Kok Road in Sham Shui Po at about 11.30pm on Monday to investigate a report of theft made by a 40-year-old man, who claimed 15 boxes, carrying a total of 750 face masks worth about HK$3,000, were stolen.

By Tuesday morning, no one had been arrested in connection with the case.

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