The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man from the mainland on Monday for usury and falsely imprisoning a male gambler, PJ spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Chong identified the suspect as a 34-year-old farmer surnamed Shi.
According to Chong, the police received a report from a mainland man on Monday that he was being held against his will in a hotel guestroom in Cotai due to debts from high-interest gambling loans.
Chong noted that the victim had been persuaded to borrow money for gambling by a man, who remained at large at the time of the press conference, via WeChat on Sunday night. The victim then met the man and his two accomplices in the hotel lobby, where they discussed the terms of the loan. The victim agreed to borrow HK$500,000 in gambling chips under three conditions: a 30 percent “interest” on any winning baccarat hand scoring 8 or 9; each bet should not exceed 10 percent of the total chips held; and he was required to sign an IOU.
After signing the IOU in a public toilet of the hotel, the victim received HK$500,000 in chips and began gambling in the early hours of Monday. During this time, the man collected “interest” while Shi was tasked with watching over him. By 4 a.m., the victim had gambled away all his chips, and the man and his accomplices left, leaving Shi behind, who then confined the victim in the hotel guestroom, demanding repayment.
Chong added that the victim managed to call the police while being held against his will. The police arrested Shi at the scene and seized a mobile phone and HK$1,400 in cash from him. Chong said while gambling the victim was charged HK$500,000 by the loan sharks in “interest”. After gambling away all his chips, he was told by the gang to repay the principal of his loan – HK$500,000. He was held for eight hours, Chong said.
Shi was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of false imprisonment and usury.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
