The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested two casino loan sharks from the mainland on Friday for engaging in casino loansharking activities and stealing chips worth HK$60,000 from their “client”, PJ spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Lei identified the suspects as a 34-year-old man surnamed Chen and a 37-year-old man surnamed Zhou who told the police that they are jobless.
According to Lei, the police received a report on Friday about an illegal loansharking activity and the theft of chips at a casino in Cotai.
Lei noted that a middle-aged male gambler had borrowed HK$350,000 from Chen under specific terms. They agreed that the gambler would contribute HK$150,000 of his own money so that he would have HK$500,000 at his disposal in total for gambling on baccarat. For each winning hand, 20 percent of the betting money would be taken as “interest,” while the gambler was required to sign an IOU for 340,000 yuan (HK$362,000 at yesterday’s exchange rate).
Afterwards, Chen and his accomplices monitored the gambler while Zhou collected the agreed “interest” from him. After four hours of gambling, the gambler wanted to stop, having only HK$130,000 in chips left in his possession. Two of his friends told him that they had seen Zhou stealing chips from the table during the game. As the dispute escalated and alerted security guards, the accomplices fled the scene. The police later intercepted Chen, Zhou, the gambler and his two friends at the scene. They confiscated two mobile phones and HK$130,000 in chips from them. The gambler claimed that he was unaware of how many chips had been taken as “interest.”
The police discovered that Zhou had stolen chips from the victim six times, totalling HK$60,000, which were apparently handed over to his accomplice. Under questioning, Chen refused to cooperate, and his accomplices were still at large at the time of the press conference. Zhou admitted to assisting Chen in collecting “interest” from the gambler for a payment of HK$500. The police also discovered that Zhou had entered Macau illegally.
The duo have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of usury and theft, while Zhou is also facing an additional charge of illegal entry.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
