A man from the mainland has been arrested after robbing a female illegal currency exchange dealer in a hotel guestroom, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Cheong Im Sim said at a regular press conference on Monday.
The 38-year-old suspect surnamed Liu told the police that he’s jobless. The victim is in her thirties.
According to Cheong, Liu, through the arrangement of an intermediary, arrived for a meeting with the victim at a hotel room in Cotai on Saturday. Upon entering the room, she was immediately threatened by Liu with a small knife attached to a wine opener, and forced her to hand over HK$760,000 in cash. She was then tied up and kept in the bathroom for nearly an hour, while Liu went to gamble and lost most of the cash.
Liu returned to the hotel room and released the female victim. He then insisted that she accompany him to hail a taxi. The victim sought assistance from nearby security guards and promptly reported the case to the police as soon as Liu got into a taxi.
The suspect was arrested within 20 minutes. Police officers seized HK$160,000 and the knife used in the robbery from him. Liu denied the accusation.
Liu has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of robbery, illegal confinement, causing bodily harm, and the use of a prohibited weapon, according to Cheong.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows the mainland robbery suspect being escorted by a PSP officer to a police station.
