Three locals were arrested on Monday and Tuesday for defrauding a mainlander out of HK$2 million, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said in a regular press conference yesterday.
Chan said that a 42-year-old male suspect surnamed Ao Ieong is a businessman, while a 38-year-old female suspect surnamed Lai is an insurance agent. The other male suspect surnamed Cheang, aged 34, told the police he’s jobless.
According to Chan, Ao Ieong and Lai told the victim in August 2021 that Lai was selling a financial product for HK$200,000 in her insurance company, while Ao Ieong claimed that he could help the victim invest in a VIP gambling room in Zape, promising that he could earn a monthly interest of five to seven percent.
The victim believed Ao Ieong, whom he has known for more than two decades, and soon transferred a total of HK$2 million to Ao Ieong and Lai’s bank accounts.
The victim was notified earlier this year that the VIP room had closed, but Ao Ieong insisted that it was still operating. The victim trusted Ao Ieong since he had received a total of HK$ 420,000 as “interest” from Ao Ieong since September 2021.
Chan noted that later the victim demanded to withdraw some of the money. Instead, Ao Ieong and Cheang gave a “real-estate certificate” concerning a residential property in Taipa to the victim to pay off the debt. The victim then discovered on a property registration website that neither Ao Ieong nor Cheang owned the flat, after which he reported the case to the police on September 28. The trio were arrested on Monday and Tuesday.
Under questioning, the suspects denied the accusations. Ao Ieong and Lai claimed that they merely “borrowed” money from the victim for their businesses. Chan noted that neither suspect is the owner of the flat, and Lai never bought the financial product in her insurance company.
The trio were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Tuesday, facing fraud and document forgery charges, Chan said.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference.
– Photo: William Chan
