It is understood that the 31-year-old man is a worker at a nearby market where he cuts meat. He headed to a flat at On Fook Building on Shung Ling Street on Friday afternoon and visited a prostitute. The door of the sex worker’s flat was left unlocked.

The man later heard noises from the living room which raised his suspicions. He then left the bedroom and found the mainlander in the process of stealing about HK$25,000 worth of jewelry, 3,400 Renminbi and HK$10,000 of cash.

The man chased the mainlander for about 200 meters while yelling, “robbery!”

The mainlander was at last intercepted and subdued by a pedestrian opposite Yue Xiu Plaza.

Police officers soon arrived at the scene after other passersby were alarmed by the man’s cry for help and filed reports to police.

Sources said the 29-year-old mainlander is named Chen and came to Hong Kong on a two-way permit. He also told police he worked as a hairdresser on the mainland.

Chen was then arrested by police for theft, and the case was handed over to Wong Tai Sin district crime investigation team.