Luo Wanlu, an information engineering student from Shenzhen University, traveled to Hong Kong on July 29, but he suddenly went missing. According to media reports, Luo was arrested for shoplifting. She had stolen merchandise worth about HK$2,400 from three beauty stores.
Luo told a friend at her university on July 29 that she was going to Hong Kong for a shopping trip and would return home in the evening. She planned to stock up on cosmetics for both herself and her mother.
The 21-year-old stayed in touch with friends by asking them whether they wanted various snacks and beauty products via WeChat for a few hours, but she abruptly stopped responding to messages at around 5 p.m. that day.
After about 24 hours, Luo’s classmates filed a missing person report with the Shenzhen police, who confirmed the student had not crossed the border back into mainland China.
Several of Luo’s classmates went to Hong Kong in an attempt to search for the missing student, while her parents filed a report with local police. Later, Hong Kong police told reporters that Luo was arrested when she was caught shoplifting in a Tuen Mun store.
She was spotted shoplifting by a staff member around 3 pm. Police arrived and searched her bag, and found stolen face masks, cleansing products, and other cosmetics worth a combined HK$2,400 from three shops in the Trend Plaza Shopping Arcade and Tuen Mun Town Plaza.
Luo Wanlu pleaded guilty to three counts of theft at Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Court, and is reportedly serving a 14-day jail term at Lo Wu Correctional Institution. She will be repatriated back to Shenzhen after her sentence is complete.
After learning of their daughter’s arrest, Luo’s parents broke down in tears and insisted to reporters that their daughter had never done anything like this before.
Translated by Cecilia
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