The police arrested a casino cage worker on Monday for stealing a HK$50,000 chip in a VIP room, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Leng, the 27-year-old suspect is surnamed Cheang. She told the police that she works as a casino cage employee in a VIP room in Taipa. The police did not reveal the name of the VIP room.
The incident happened at about 6 a.m. on Friday. A gambler went to the casino cage to exchange cash chips into non-negotiable chips, handing over two chips, one worth HK$10,000 and the other HK$50,000.
Non-negotiable chips are known as dead chips in the local gambling jargon.
According to Leng, Cheang handed the gambler a dead chip worth HK$60,000, after which she furtively hid a chip worth HK$50,000 in a drawer. Later Cheang told her colleagues that she needed to go to the staff toilet. She took the HK$50,000 chip with her and went instead to a staff break room where she hid the stolen chip in the fridge.
The theft was discovered by a manager of the VIP room who questioned Cheang about it on Monday afternoon. She quickly admitted to stealing the HK$50,000 chip, Leng said. The manager then reported the case to the police.
Cheang told the police that when finishing her shift on Friday she went to the break room to retrieve the HK$50,000 chip from the fridge. However, she claimed that when opening the fridge she discovered to her horror that the chip had vanished.
There is no CCTV camera in the break room, Leng said.
Scrutinising the CCTV camera footage of the VIP room, the police were unable to identify the person who apparently stole the stolen chip, Leng added.
At the time of the press conference yesterday afternoon, the police were still investigating the whereabouts of the “stolen stolen chip”.
The police have transferred Cheang to the Public Prosecution Office (MP). Cheang faces possible arraignment on aggravated theft.
According to Article 198 of the Macau Penal Code, aggravated theft is punishable by up to five years behind bars or a fine.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon (left) addresses yesterday’s regular press conference as Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Choi Iok Kin looks on. Photo: Kristy Chan
