The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local man on Saturday for stealing HK$365,000 (376,000 patacas) and 4,800 patacas from the safes of 12 front-desk colleagues in a hotel in Cotai, PJ spokesman Cheong Siu Keong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspect as a 29-year-old male surnamed Ip, who worked as a front desk manager at the hotel.
According to Cheong, the police received a report from the hotel on Thursday about a significant cash shortage uncovered during an audit on November 7. The police discovered that from September 26 to November 6, Ip borrowed staff identification cards from his colleagues, which, combined with his own high-level access, allowed him to unlock the personal safes of 12 front desk employees and steal the operational reserve funds allocated by the hotel.
Cheong said that, according to hotel policy, each front desk employee is allocated HK$35,000 and 5,000 patacas in reserve funds daily. The police discovered that Ip accessed multiple safes using only two staff identification cards, taking advantage of system vulnerabilities. Ip exploited his colleagues’ habits of not routinely counting cash, allowing him to target several safes and steal a total of HK$365,000 and 4,800 patacas in two months.
Cheong added that after each theft, Ip went to a casino to gamble, and after gambling away all the money, he went missing from work starting November 7. The police identified Ip as the suspect and apprehended him while he was re-entering Macau through the airport on Saturday.
Ip has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a theft charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Siu Keong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
