Armed robbers steal hundreds of toilet rolls in China

When it comes to theft, there are two groups of people who engage in the act, armed robbers, and thieves. The difference between the two is that, armed robbers usually rob or attack their victims or targets at gun point or with the aid of weapons, and normally attack high-value targets, and thus stand a higher jail term or severe punishment when they are caught. Thieves on the other hand do not usually use any sophisticated weapon to attack, but simply take or snatch things that are not theirs whenever they get the opportunity or chance to do so.

Now why would armed robbers risk their lives just to steal toilet rolls?

Toilet rolls are currently in short supply in Hong Kong due to shortages caused by panic-buying during the coronavirus outbreak. Armed robbers in Hong Kong made off with hundreds of toilet rolls worth more than HKD1,000 ($130; £98).

The knife wielding men robbed a delivery man outside a supermarket in the Mong Kok district, police said. Police have arrested two men and recovered some of the stolen loo rolls, local media reports said.

The armed robbery took place in Mong Kok, a district of Hong Kong with a history of “triad” crime gangs, early on Monday. According to local reports, the robbers had threatened a delivery worker who had unloaded rolls of toilet paper outside Wellcome Supermarket.

An Apple Daily report said that 600 toilet paper rolls, valued at around HKD1,695 ($218; £167), had been stolen. Stores across the city have seen supplies massively depleted with long queues when new stock arrives. Despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak, residents have been stocking up on toilet paper.

Other household products that have also seen panic-buying include rice, pasta and cleaning items. Face masks and hand sanitizers are almost impossible to get as people try to protect themselves from the coronavirus, which has already claimed more than 1,700 lives.

Credit: bbc