As rumors of coronavirus shortages spread in Hong Kong, two men have been arrested for an unusual robbery. Worried about facing a shortage of toilet paper, the two men allegedly robbed a delivery man to steal hundreds of rolls from him.

Two men were arrested on Monday in Hong Kong, suspected of having robbed a delivery man to steal hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. A property that has become rare following a fear of shortage since the appearance of the new coronavirus. A third man is on the run, but the loot has been found.

Loot equivalent to 120 euros of toilet paper

For ten days in Hong Kong, it has been difficult to find toilet paper, even if the local government keeps claiming that supplies are not affected by the epidemic of viral pneumonia. A truck driver was robbed Monday morning by three men in front of a supermarket in Mong Kok, one of the historic districts of the triads (local mafias). "A delivery man was threatened by three men armed with knives who stole packages of toilet paper for more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars", or around 120 euros.

Long queues outside stores

Video footage from Now TV shows police investigators standing around several pallets of toilet paper in front of a supermarket. One of them is only half full. As supermarkets are unable to restock quickly enough, long lines of customers sometimes form even before stores open. Barely crowded, the shelves empty at full speed. Consumers rush in the same way on rice, pasta as well as cleaning products and hydroalcoholic solutions.

Shortage of masks

Some Hong Kongers were puzzled Monday about the theft while others preferred to laugh. "I would steal face masks rather than rolls of toilet paper," joked a resident interviewed near the location of the robbery by the iCable television channel.

The megalopolis, where 58 cases of the new coronavirus have been recorded, is currently experiencing a real shortage of masks intended to protect themselves from this viral infection. The appearance of this epidemic in China caused hysteria through the megalopolis, awakening the trauma linked to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

False Shortage Rumors

This other coronavirus had killed 299 people in the semi-autonomous territory in 2002 and 2003. Beijing had then been slow to raise the alarm and since then, the population of this territory of more than seven million inhabitants, remains suspicious of local government health policy. This epidemic comes at a time when the executive, aligned with Beijing, has experienced a historically low popularity rate after months of pro-democracy protests.

Authorities castigated false rumors of a shortage and assured that supplies of food and household products remain constant. This rush for certain products has itself fueled this lack of certain products, especially in a very densely populated city where shops are generally small. Photos posted on social networks and on the internet show residents proud of having built up large stocks of toilet paper in their cramped apartments.

In a press release, the Wellcome supermarket chain called the theft "an insane act" and said it had "a sufficient supply" of toilet paper "to meet demand." "The temporary shortage was caused by the sudden and unusual surge in demand," she added.