The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a mainland man on Monday for casino loansharking, PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference yesterday.
Leng identified the suspect as a 39-year-old man surnamed Chen who claimed that he is jobless, while five accomplices remained at large at the time of the presser.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police (PJ) received a referral from the Public Security Police (PSP) on Monday about an loansharking activity. On Sunday evening, a male gambler from the mainland was approached by two of the six suspects in a central district casino who offered to lend him money. After negotiating the loan terms with the victim, the six loan sharks agreed on a loan of HK$100,000, from which HK$6,000 was deducted right away as “interest.” If the gambler won with 7, 8, or 9 points while betting on Baccarat, 20 percent of the betting money would also be taken as “interest,” and his car in the mainland would serve as “collateral”, with the car key handed to one of the suspects.
Chen and his accomplices then took him to a casino in Nape, where he gambled away all the money after several hours. As the gambler was unable to repay the usurious loan, Chen and his accomplices then held him against his will in a hotel guestroom for hours, during which he managed to call the police.
The police later apprehended Chen in the guestroom, but his five accomplices had already left. The police discovered that a total of HK$40,000 had been taken as “interest” during the gambling, and the car, valued at HK$200,000, had been driven away by the suspects. Leng noted that at least five suspects were still on the run at the time of the press conference.
Chen was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a charge of usury.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded suspect into a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
