A non-resident worker, who had gambled away all his money, was arrested on Friday for falsely reporting to the police that two fake police officers in uniform had seized 40,000 patacas from him, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said at a press conference yesterday.
The thirty-three-year-old suspect surnamed Wang told the police that he is a construction worker.
According to Chong, Wang reported to the Judiciary Police on Friday that he had been intercepted on Monday outside a casino-resort hotel in Cotai by two bogus police officers in uniform who then seized 40,000 patacas from him and left the scene. Wang told the police that he was negotiating a deal with a currency exchange dealer at the time.
Chong said that the Judiciary Police launched an investigation and confirmed that there was no such case. PJ officers found that Wang’s statement was full of holes. Under questioning, Wang finally admitted that he reported a false case.
He told the police that he was supposed to send 40,000 patacas to his family in his home town for medical treatment. He borrowed 5,000 patacas and used his salary of 15,000 patacas to gamble in a casino. However, he gambled away all the money so he falsely reported to the police that he had been defrauded by two fake police officers, hoping to obtain a paper from the police confirming that he had reported the case to the police so that he could present it to his family to “explain” to his family why he could not send them the money.
Wang was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Saturday, facing a charge of reporting a fictitious crime, according to Chong.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong looks on during yesterday’s press conference at the Public Security Police (PSP) pressroom. Photo: Camy Tam
