The Judiciary Police (PJ) have nabbed three mainlanders for fraud, PJ spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during a special press conference on Friday.
Chong said the three suspects, aged between 34 and 54, are surnamed Meng, Luo and Du. Meng told police that she was a saleswoman, while Luo and Du said were unemployed.
According to Chong, on Thursday afternoon, while PJ officers patrolled a casino in the peninsula, they noticed the trio organising a “crossroading” scam, in which they were pretending to assist gamblers to place bets while using their bodies to block the gamblers’ view, thereby stealing their gambling chips.
Chong said after gaining the victims’ trust, the trio offered to “help” them place baccarat bets. When the victim won, according to Chong, they pocketed the winnings, claiming they would continue betting on the victim’s behalf. When the victim placed a large bet, they took the victim’s bets on the table and falsely claimed that the entire amount had been lost. In the scam, one the victims suffered a total loss of HK$8,000, Chong said.
According to Chong, as the gang was attempting to use the same method to deceive the victim again, PJ officers immediately moved in and arrested them. A total of three smart phones and chips worth HK$77,300 were seized from the trio, Chong said.
A follow-up investigation revealed that the gang had used the same method at least three times since last month, earning about HK$15,000.
The trio were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing charge of fraud.
Police arrest a mainlander using fake chips
Meanwhile, PJ officers arrested a mainlander on Thursday for using fake gambling chips, PJ spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during the special press conference on Friday.
Chong identified the suspect as a 26-year-old male surnamed Wang, who told police that he’s jobless.
According to Chong, on Thursday morning at a casino in Zape, Wang attempted to defraud a female gambler by using six fake gambling chips, each with a face value of HK$10,000.
After the woman transferred 55,200 yuan to Wang, she noticed something unusual when handling the chips. A dispute ensued, alerting casino security, who subsequently reported the incident to the police, Chong said.
According to Chong, PJ officers arrived at the scene and arrested Wang. Under questioning, he claimed that the counterfeit chips were given to him by an accomplice who instructed him to find gamblers to defraud them with a “success reward” of HK$5,000. As other suspects still remained at large during Friday’s press conference, the Judiciary Police were continuing their investigation.
Wang was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing a fraud charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the three hooded suspects to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape on Friday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
