The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a mainlander on Thursday for his alleged involvement in a loan-sharking case who forced a defaulting female borrower to pose in the nude for photos and videos to blackmail her into paying up, PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon said on Friday at a regular press conference.
According to Leng, the suspect is a 43-year-old man from the mainland surnamed Hu. He told the police that he is unemployed. Other suspects were still at large at the time of the press conference, Leng said.
In the early morning of August 4, the victim was introduced to the other suspects through Hu in a casino in Taipa, and she borrowed HK$50,000 from them to gamble. The deal was that the borrower needed to pay HK$5,000 first in “interest”, and then 20 percent of the amount of the wager each time, regardless of whether she won or lost.
During the gambling period, Hu placed bets on behalf of the victim, and a number of accomplices took the interest, until about 4 a.m. on the same day, when the victim lost the loan and was unable to return it, after which she was taken to a flat in Nape to be held there against her will, and a total of HK$10,000 in “interest” had been taken by the gang.
During her detention, the victim called her friends and relatives to raise money, and one of her friends learnt about the incident and reported it to the police.
As the money was not forthcoming, one of the gang members forced the victim to pose for nude photos and videos, after which she was released at noon on August 5 after she had been falsely imprisoned for more than 32 hours. She was told to repay the loan as soon as possible to redeem the photos and videos.
Police officers identified Hu and intercepted him at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) checkpoint on Thursday when he was trying to re-enter Macau.
Hu was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing charges of usury and false imprisonment, as well as the illegal recording of video or photographic footage, Leng noted, adding that the Judiciary Police, at the time of the press conference, were still looking for other gang members at large.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon looks on during Friday’s regular press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape.
