Hong Kong Police arrested three 16-year-old boys on charges of robbing a suitcase containing $ 1.3 million from a mainland man and were searching for accomplices.

Three suspects allegedly attacked an employee of a Chinese jewelry store in the Tsim Sha Tsui area yesterday, taking suitcases containing a lot of foreign currencies worth a total of US $ 1.3 million.

Police said a suspect dropped his wallet and papers at the scene, helping investigators identify the termite and arrest the teenager on the same night. However, the money in the suitcase has not been recovered.

Tsang Chung-bun, assistant commander of the Yau Tsim district police, said authorities were looking for three more people involved in the robbery, including the leader.

"All three suspects are neighbors and have known each other for a long time, in which two teenagers have dropped out of school. We believe the teenagers are seduced by money by criminals," Tsang said, adding that the suspect beat him. The wallet was promised a reward of HK $ 8,000 (US $ 1,030) for the robbery.

Hong Kong police warn people to be vigilant when carrying large amounts of money amid the recent large robberies. "We hope the people working in the commercial areas will be more careful," said Assistant Tsang.

The number of robberies in Hong Kong has been on the rise since the summer, as all police resources are mobilized to deal with protests against the extradition bill. From August 2019, Hong Kong police stopped patrolling the streets because of a lack of manpower and fear of protesters attacking.