A mainlander illegally entered Macau and cheated a friend out of casino chips worth HK$105,000, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a press briefing on Friday.
The 35-year-old suspect surnamed Xu told the police that he is a currency exchange dealer.
According to Lei, a male mainlander reported to the police late last year that he had been cheated out of HK$105,000 by Xu. The victim told the police that he got to know Xu last November in a casino in Cotai. They then stayed in a hotel guestroom together. The victim asked Xu to exchange his casino chips worth HK$105,000 into yuan so that he would be able to spend the money after his return to the mainland. The victim then handed over the chips to Xu. However, Xu failed to deposit the yuan into the victim’s bank account in the mainland and told him that an urgent matter had come up, after which he vanished. Therefore, the victim reported the case to the police.
Lei said that a security guard in another casino intercepted Xu on January 15 and notified the Judiciary Police. PJ officers arrived at the scene to follow up on the case. Under questioning, Xu denied committing the crime, but admitted to having illegally entered Macau last September to engage in illicit currency exchange activities. The Judiciary Police are continuing their investigation into the whereabouts of the ill-gotten money.
Xu has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a fraud charge, according to Lei.
