A fireman was arrested on Wednesday morning at his flat in Taipa for cheating a local watch shop owner out of a luxury-brand watch worth HK$470,000, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said at a regular press conference on Friday.
Chan said that the 30-year-old suspect is a local resident who joined the Fire Services Bureau (CB) in 2012.
According to Chan, the Judiciary Police received a referral from the Public Security Police (PSP) on Tuesday afternoon and contacted the local victim who told PJ officers that he had received a call from the suspect to order a HK$470,000 luxury-brand watch last Monday, so after confirming that the watch was in stock on Tuesday morning, the victim together with a member of the shop’s staff, according to the suspect’s request, went to the Coloane’s Hac Sa Long Chao Kok villa area to carry out the transaction.
Chan said that when the shop owner and the staff member arrived in the area, the suspect, who was already at the scene, took out two red envelopes (known as ‘lai see’ in Cantonese) with 2,500 patacas in each and gave them to the victim and the staff member each as a “token of gratitude”. The suspect then handed over a leather suitcase to the owner, claiming it contained HK$470,000 in cash. After receiving the watch, the suspect rode away on a bicycle, Chan added.
When the victim opened the suitcase, and discovered it contained only books, snacks and other sundries, he realised that he had been cheated, and immediately reported the case to the police, Chan said.
According to Chan, the Judiciary Police tracked the suspect through the police forces’ citywide CCTV camera system and found that the suspect had left the scene by bicycle, and then fled by motorbike, bus and taxi, and eventually returned to Taipa via Coloane and the Macau peninsula, during which he changed his shirt many times to avoid being tracked down, “just like a scene from a movie”.
Chan said that the Judiciary Police nabbed the suspect at his flat in Taipa early Wednesday morning and also retrieved the watch he had stolen from the victim.
Chan added that the suspect refused to cooperate with the police, adding that at the time of the press conference his motive was still being investigated.
The suspect surnamed Chan has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), where he faces a charge of fraud involving a considerable amount of money.
Fire Services Bureau ‘highly concerned’ about the case
Meanwhile, a statement by the Fire Services Bureau (CB) on Friday said that it was highly concerned about an off-duty firefighter being transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for alleged fraud.
The statement underlined that disciplinary proceedings have been launched in relation to the incident, and the firefighter has been placed on temporary suspension. The statement added that if the crime is confirmed, the offender will be held accountable in accordance with the law.
The statement said that at the bureau’s department chiefs have been ordered to strengthen the ethical education and supervision of their staff, adding that all firefighters must always follow the law in their personal and professional conduct, whether on or off duty.
