Hong Kong police have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of snatching two commuters’ phones just as train doors were closing at separate MTR stations during rush hour.

Police said on Friday that both thefts took place within 10 minutes of each other at two nearby stations.

The first report came from a woman, aged 48, at around 8.15pm on Thursday, who told officers that her phone was grabbed by a man at Lai King station.

About 10 minutes later, another woman reported that a man had also grabbed her phone at Mei Foo station.

Both told police the man had approached them from behind and snatched their phones, before fleeing the scene as the train doors closed.

Following a review of surveillance footage, officers identified the suspect and launched a raid on a flat in Yau Tong on Friday morning.