A mainland Chinese man without a job used adhesive-coated plastic sheets to insert into donation boxes at the Tsim Sha Tsui Mosque and Buddhist Hospital, attempting to steal donations. He successfully stole more than HKD 10,000 from the mosque but failed at the Buddhist Hospital and left behind his backpack. The defendant previously admitted to charges of theft and attempted theft. The case was heard today (4th) at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court, where Magistrate Chan Chi Fai stated that the case was serious, as the defendant used specially made tools to steal money from donation boxes, and was a premeditated crime, resulting in an 8-month prison sentence. The defendant, Qin Hongkang (46 years old, holding a multiple-entry permit, unemployed), was charged with one count of theft and two counts of attempted theft. He is alleged to have attempted to steal and steal HKD 10,248 in cash on July 25th and August 1st, 2025, at the underground level of the Tsim Sha Tsui九龙 Mosque and Islamic Centre, and attempted to steal in the underground lobby of Block B of the Wong Tai Sin Buddhist Hospital. Multiple donation boxes at the Tsim Sha Tsui Mosque had their donations stolen. (Reference image) The defendant's backpack had been modified. (Reference image) Police recovered over HKD 10,000 in cash from the defendant's backpack. (Photo by Lin Zefeng) The defense pleaded that the defendant voluntarily confessed to the police about the method of the crime. The defense pleaded that the defendant ran a renovation company in mainland China, and due to clients not paying, he faced financial difficulties, leading him to commit the crime in Hong Kong. The defendant confessed honestly, cooperated with the police, and disclosed the method of the crime, deeply regretted his actions, and hoped the court would show leniency. He was stopped while attempting to steal at the Buddhist Hospital. The case stated that there was a donation box on the wall in the underground hall of Block B of the Buddhist Hospital. On the morning of the incident, security saw the defendant attempting to steal donations from the donation box with a metal sheet and immediately stopped him. The defendant fled, leaving his backpack behind. The mosque discovered the reduction in donations and uncovered the case. In addition, the九龙 Mosque and Islamic Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui also has six donation boxes on the underground level. Staff discovered on July 24th, 2025, that donations had significantly decreased compared to usual. Upon reviewing closed-circuit television footage, they found someone suspected of using a special tool to steal donations, and thus reported the incident to the police. The defendant claimed he committed the crime due to lack of money. The defendant was arrested on August 1st, 2025. Police found over HKD 10,000 in cash, a modified measuring tape, an acrylic sheet coated with adhesive, and a specially made booklet containing dozens of the aforementioned sheets in his modified backpack. Under police caution, the defendant admitted that he modified the double-sided adhesive paper and green measuring tape due to lack of money. He would use the backpack as a disguise, inserting adhesive-coated metal sheets into the donation boxes, allowing the money to stick to the sheets, and then retrieving it from the donation boxes. He claimed that a mainland Chinese man named Mr. Wang provided the theft tools. He also stated that due to financial difficulties in his renovation business, Mr. Wang instructed him to come to Hong Kong to steal money and provided the tools. The defendant then traveled alone by high-speed rail from Nanning, Guangxi, to commit the crime in Hong Kong. Case number: KCCC2008/2025