The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested two men from the mainland on Thursday for usury and falsely imprisoning a gambler, PJ spokesman Cheong Un Hong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspects as a 20-year-old male surnamed Ren and a 38-year-old male surnamed Zhu who told the police that they are jobless.
According to Cheong, the police received a call from someone on Thursday night who reported that his friend, a middle-aged man from the mainland, was being held against his will in a hotel guestroom in Cotai due to debts from high-interest gambling loans.
Around 5 a.m. on Thursday, a person who remained at large at the time of the press conference approached the victim at a casino in Cotai after the victim had gambled away all his money. After negotiating the terms, the victim borrowed HK$500,000 from the fugitive, agreeing to pay 20 percent of the betting amount from each winning bet as “interest” and signed an IOU.
The fugitive then accompanied the victim to gamble in a casino and collected “interest” from him. After losing all the borrowed money, the victim was taken to his hotel guestroom by Ren and Zhu where he was held against his will. However, the victim took the opportunity to call his friend for help, and his friend reported the case to the police later that day. The police apprehended both Ren and Zhu in the guestroom.
Cheong noted that the victim was charged HK$300,000 in “interest” and was held for four hours. Under questioning, both Ren and Zhu refused to cooperate.
The duo have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of false imprisonment and usury.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Un Hong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
