Changhua City, Taiwan – February 24, 2026
A suspected thief was arrested yesterday after allegedly breaking into several claw machines at an arcade shop in Changhua City, just 12 hours after the theft, police reported.
The incident took place early yesterday morning at around 5 a.m., when a helmeted individual entered the store and pried open multiple machines to steal coins. The shop owner later estimated the total losses at over NT$10,000.
Surveillance footage obtained from the arcade showed the suspect carefully observing the area before using a master key to unlock the machines. At one point, the suspect even pretended to be a regular customer inserting coins to avoid drawing attention. Several machines were forcibly opened during the theft.
A friend of the shop owner discovered the damaged cash box doors and immediately informed the owner. After confirming the losses, the owner posted the footage online to alert other arcade operators.
Police quickly launched an investigation, tracing the suspect’s movements via roadside surveillance cameras. They found that the suspect had ridden a scooter southbound and alerted local police units, including Huatun and Dacun stations, to intercept her.
Later yesterday afternoon, officers stopped the suspect on a street in Yuanlin City. She was identified as 33-year-old Huang.
Authorities said Huang had previously worked in Hsinchu City and had experience operating claw machines, but faced employment challenges and financial difficulties. Police also learned that she had allegedly stolen a scooter in Hsinchu before heading south to Changhua.
When officers checked the stolen cash, they discovered that none of it remained. Within 12 hours, Huang had reportedly spent the over NT$10,000 she took, claiming the money was used for meals and fuel.
Huang was taken into custody and transferred to prosecutors on suspicion of theft.