It was understood the officer has been granted bail pending further investigation and has to report back to the police station in early May. He has been suspended from duty as well.

The officer was part of an investigation team sent to St Andrews Place on Kam Chui Road in Sheung Shui on Friday night, after a burglary was reported there, according to sources.

It was said that the 65-year-old woman whose flat was burgled filed another report the same night claiming her iPad was missing after police’s investigation.

Officers eventually located the device at a building on Wah Ming Road in Fanling with the help of the iPad’s tracking function, but were not immediately able to find it. The next morning, a security guard at the Fanling building reported to the force that the tablet has been found at the base of the building’s lightwell.

A subsequent probe on the same day led investigators to the 29-year-old’s residence inside the building - where investigators found a necklace and bracelet believed to be stolen objects in another burglary case reported on December 11 last year.

Sources said the jewelry belonged to the deceased wife of the victim in that case.

The case is now handled by the New Territories North regional crime unit, while the police force said they attached great importance to the conduct of officers and had zero tolerance for illegal acts.