A local woman and two Taiwanese were taken to a police station for questioning on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in unlicensed plastic surgery and beauty treatments in a hotel in Nape, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said during a special press conference yesterday at the PJ headquarters yesterday.

According to Ho, the local suspect surnamed Lei is 35 years old. She told the police that she is the public relations director of a VIP room in a local casino. The two Taiwanese comprise a male and a female. The male surnamed Hwang is 43 years old. He told the police that he works as a medical practitioner in Taiwan. The female surnamed Liu is 37 years old. She told the police that she works as a nurse in Taiwan.

The police were tipped off on Friday that a local woman had hired a number of Taiwanese to conduct illegal plastic surgery in a hotel guestroom in Nape. Ho added that most of the customers were female.

After investigating, the police identified Hwang and Liu as the medical practitioner and nurse respectively who carried out the illegal plastic surgery. Police officers went up the guestroom on Tuesday. More than 17 cosmetic surgery implements and syringes were seized as evidence from the guestroom, and Hwang and Liu were taken a police station for questioning, according to Ho.

According to Ho, both admitted that they conducted the illegal plastic surgery and beauty treatments.

Ho said that Lei had been the “middlewoman” in the illegal business, and one of her jobs was to arrange customers, most of whom were her friends or colleagues. The Taiwanese suspects told the police that they had been visiting Macau at the end of every month for their illegal medical services since January 2017.

According to Ho, each plastic surgery or beauty treatment cost between several thousand Hong Kong dollars and HK$20,000. Hwang and Liu’s work involved plastic surgery, skin whitening injections, Botox injections, weight-loss injection infusions, hyaluronic acid serums, skin laser therapies and other kinds of beauty treatment, according to Ho.

Lei paid Hwang HK$20,000 and Liu HK$5,000 for each surgery or treatment, according to Ho. Both told the police that they had earnt HK$320,000 together over the past two years from their illegal activities in Macau, Ho said.

Ho said that Lei was taken to a police station for questioning on Tuesday afternoon. However, she refused to cooperate with the police.

Ho said that the police have gathered sufficient evidence to prove that Lei acted as the middlewoman in the case.

Police have transferred Lei, Hwang and Liu to the Public Prosecution Office (MP). The three suspects face a range of possible charges, such as unauthorised exercise of a licensed profession and unlawful employment, Ho said.

According to a statement by Health Services Bureau (SSM) last night, both people and premises must be licensed before they can provide medical services, otherwise the activities would breach administrative regulations. Moreover, the unlicensed import of medicines violates the External Trade Law and the Pharmaceutical Industry Activities Ordinance. Consumers of unlicensed medical services may endanger their health and even risk their life, the SSM statement said.

Plastic surgery tools and beauty treatment injection utensils seized from a hotel guestroom are displayed in a pressroom at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday. Photo: Iong Tat Choi