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A 42-year-old man and a 45-year-old man were sentenced to 12 months' and 10 months' imprisonment for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and aiding and abetting handling stolen goods respectively at the District Court today (March 12). A 41-year-old woman was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment for conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
The Court heard that Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) had received intelligence that a syndicate obtained keys to a long vacant residential flat in Kowloon City area through a property agent and made use of the flat as a letter-sorting centre.
In early September 2012, CCB officers mounted an operation in Mong Kok, Kowloon City and Tsuen Wan areas in which three males and three females, aged 35 to 45, were arrested for conspiracy to steal. A total of 1,560 letters, 41 bank cards, nine cheque books and 11 cheques were seized during the operation.
Upon investigations, a 42-year-old man was charged with one count of conspiracy to handle stolen goods while a 45-year-old man was charged with one count of aiding and abetting handling stolen goods. A 41-year-old woman was charged with one count of conspiracy to steal and one count of conspiracy to handle stolen goods. They were subsequently convicted and the sentences were handed down today.
A 36-year-old woman arrested was convicted and sentenced to two months' imprisonment for agent accepting an advantage at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court on February 4.
Police remind members of the public to protect their personal data and bank cards from being stolen and misused by criminals:
1) Enquire with company or organisation concerned if you have yet received regular mail from the company or organisation;
2) Clear mail boxes regularly. Letters may not be dropped inside the mail boxes properly if the mail boxes are full;
3) Consider changing the mailing address to a place with better security or use P.O. boxes in post office;
4) The building management, controller or owners association shall enhance the building security and relocate the mail boxes inside the main gate or a place with security staff;
5) Keep all documents with personal data safely (e.g. bank statements, customer receipts of credit card transaction, etc) and make sure the portions with personal data are fully shredded/ destroyed; and
6) Landlord should keep the keys of their premises safely. If it is necessary to handover the keys to others for rental purpose, do handover it to a reliable property company and agent. Landlord is advised to conduct routine visit to their vacated premises.
Police Report No. 330
Ends/Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Issued at HKT 22:34
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