A mainlander was arrested after he refused to pay the currency exchange dealer who had given him HK$50,000 to gamble with and then beat the victim up last Thursday in a casino in the central district, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said at a regular press conference yesterday.
Leng said the 40-year-old suspect surnamed Xiong told the police that he works as a cleaner. The victim is a mainlander who runs an illegal currency exchange service.
Leng said that on Thursday night Xiong approached the victim inside the casino to change some currency. The victim gave Xiong cash totalling HK$50,000 in three stacks, with the suspect claiming that he would pay him back later through online banking. Xiong soon gambled away the whole amount, Leng said, adding that the victim caught up with Xiong and urged him to transfer the cash.
Leng said Xiong refused to do the transfer and told the victim that he did not have the money in his bank account. Leng said that the two got into a heated argument, with the suspect punching the victim on the back of the head, chest and back during the argument. The victim was in a lot of pain and sought help from a PJ officer at the casino at 10:30 p.m., according the Leng.
The police arrested Xiong at the casino, with Xiong admitting the crimes. Xiong was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Saturday where he faced assault and fraud charges, according to Leng.
