Seven male members of an illegal currency exchange gang were arrested on Monday for defrauding a 27-year-old male mainlander out of 87,900 yuan (around 102,000 patacas) early that morning, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said at a special press conference yesterday, adding that the victim also works as an illegal currency exchange dealer.
According to Lou, the seven suspects from the mainland aged between 24 and 36, are surnamed Chen, Chen, Gu, Peng, Wang, Wu and Wu, three of the suspects told the police that they came to Macau to engage in illegal currency exchange activities. Lou added that four of the seven gang members had been overstaying in Macau for more than three months.
Lou did not elaborate on whether to two Chens or the two Wus were related.
Lou said that the 35-year-old suspect surnamed Chen is the ring leader of the currency exchange gang.
Lou noted that early on Monday morning, as the victim did not have enough Hong Kong dollar notes, he contacted other illegal currency dealers via a WeChat group to exchange yuan notes for Hong Kong dollar notes, so he could continue working.
Lou said that the victim met two members of the gang of suspects, who were given the task of changing the victim’s yuan into Hong Kong dollars, in the men’s toilet of a casino in Taipa, adding that the victim and the two men agreed to an exchange rate of 0.879 yuan to the Hong Kong dollar. The victim stated that he wanted HK$200,000 with that exchange rate.
Lou pointed out that after transferring 87,900 yuan to the gang’s designated bank account, the victim asked for his HK$100,000 before proceeding further with the transaction.
However, Lou said, after receiving the HK$100,000 in cash, the victim found that only the first banknote was genuine, and the rest were practice banknotes, so he immediately asked security at the scene for help, who then intercepted two of the seven suspects and handed them over to PJ officers to follow up the case.
Lou noted that the Judiciary Police found 185 HK$1,000 practice banknotes on the two suspects.
According to Wikipedia, a practice banknote is generally similar in size, shape and colour to circulating banknotes and is used for training bank tellers, cashiers and staff at currency exchanges.
According to Lou, under questioning, the two gang members admitted that they had started operating with their accomplices three months ago. Subsequently, the police intercepted the other five members in a hotel’s smoking area and guest room in Taipa, Lou said, adding that the five denied that they were involved in the case.
Lou said that the Judiciary Police believed that the gang negotiated the plan in the hotel room, and operated a group division of labour to defraud the illegal currency dealers.
The seven suspects were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of fraud, organised crime, and aiding and abetting illegal immigration, according to Lou.
Evidence seized from the seven mainland suspects such as a designer handbag, mobile phones, some practice banknotes and Hong Kong dollars in cash, is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Nape yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
