The Judiciary Police (PJ) cracked a fraud case involving HK$138,000 on Sunday, in which a Hong Kong man and three mainland men were arrested early that morning at a casino in Cotai for defrauding a casino loan shark, PJ spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a special press conference yesterday.
According to Ho, the foursome, aged between 29 and 36, are surnamed Lam, Li, Yuan and Feng respectively.
The Judiciary Police received a referral from the Public Security Police (PSP) at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday about the fraud, in which the four suspects conspired to cheat a casino loan shark out of casino chips, Ho said.
A PJ investigation shows that, according to Ho, at about 3 a.m. on that day, with money Feng had given him, Lam met the male casino loan shark through an intermediary, borrowing HK$80,000 with the agreement to pay 20 percent “interest” on every win.
After signing an IOU, Lam was taken by the male intermediary and loan shark to a casino in Cotai at about 5 a.m. that day, Ho said, adding that after Lam gambled for two hours, he took chips worth HK$138,000 while Yuan and Li caused a diversion and the trio fled the scene, with the intermediary and loan shark chasing after the threesome.
The case was reported to the police by the casino’s security department.
Under questioning, Feng refused to cooperate with the police, but Lam, Li and Yuan admitted to the conspiracy to defraud the loan shark, adding that each had been promised a commission, planning to split between them 60 percent of the HK$138,000.
Chan noted that the quartet were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of fraud involving a large amount of money.
As for the two non-local men suspected of loan-sharking in the case, Ho said that the Judiciary Police will handle the case as a separate one involving a loan-sharking gang.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the four hooded fraud suspects from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a PJ vehicle yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
