A 33-year-old Chinese mainland man has been arrested for defrauding a couple out of 321,077 yuan (370,000 patacas) in a bogus currency exchange deal, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, the couple were approached by a man at a hotel shopping mall in Cotai on Friday afternoon. They agreed to exchange 321,077 yuan for HK$360,000 in cash, and the couple transferred the yuan to a designated mainland bank account as instructed.
The couple then followed the man to the hotel lobby to collect the HK$360,000 in cash. However, upon arrival at the lobby, the man manoeuvred hurriedly through the area under false pretences before fleeing the scene.
The suspect, surnamed Wang, alongside several unidentified accomplices, suddenly emerged to obstruct the couple from pursuing the man who fled. Creating a disturbance, they loudly accused the couple of harassing their friend. A scuffle broke out, during which the male victim sustained a neck injury.
Lei said that hotel security personnel intercepted Wang and notified the police, while the other suspects escaped.
PJ officers later discovered that the operation had been premeditated and that the syndicate specifically targeted gamblers seeking currency exchange services around casinos, Lei said.
The suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of fraud involving a considerable amount and causing bodily harm. Judiciary Police officers will continue their search for the remaining suspects and the stolen funds.
This undated handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday shows a smartphone seized from the suspect surnamed Wang.
