3rd October 2023 – (Hong Kong) In recent days, a distressing video clip has gone viral on Facebook groups and WhatsApp, depicting a foreign man violently assaulting a woman inside an elevator and snatching her belongings. The CCTV footage, accompanied by misleading captions, claims that the incident occurred yesterday (2nd) in a pedestrian bridge elevator in Hong Kong. However, vigilant netizens have discovered that the footage actually dates back to 2019, and even the police had previously clarified that the incident took place in Malaysia, not Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the old video has resurfaced and is being mistakenly circulated as a recent incident.
The footage reveals a woman wearing a short-sleeved top and a skirt, entering the elevator followed by a foreign man. As soon as the doors close, the man swiftly throws a punch at the woman’s head, knocking her to the ground in an attempt to snatch her handbag. Despite the victim’s resistance, the man grabs her hair, continues to assault her by hitting her head and kicking her hand, eventually managing to seize her handbag. The distressed woman pleads with the assailant to return her belongings, but he ignores her pleas and quickly retrieves his wallet from the stolen bag before fleeing the scene.
Recently, various online groups have shared the video, falsely claiming that the incident occurred on the aforementioned date (2nd) and in a “connecting elevator” located in a pedestrian bridge in Hong Kong. The misleading posts caution against resisting theft and emphasise the importance of prioritising personal safety over material possessions.
However, astute internet users have recognised the footage and exposed the falsehood. The case is not recent, and the location is not in Hong Kong but in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a similar robbery took place in 2019. At that time, a 48-year-old Chinese woman entered an elevator at Taman Mutiara MRT Station in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, closely followed by another foreign man. Once inside the elevator, the man assaulted the woman, stole her belongings worth 400 Malaysian Ringgit (approximately 660 Hong Kong dollars). The incident garnered significant attention, prompting the Kuala Lumpur police to apprehend an Indian man on charges of robbery and causing bodily harm. The authorities also confirmed that the suspect had previously committed a robbery at a local convenience store.