A man from the mainland has been arrested for selling fake gold bars to a fellow mainlander, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said at a regular press conference yesterday.
The 37-year-old suspect surnamed Lu is a designer. The victim is under the age of 30. They got to know each other while gambling in a local casino.
According to Lei, on March 4, while Lu and the victim were having a meal at a restaurant in Cotai, Lu requested a loan of 15,000 patacas. To secure the loan, Lu offered two gold bars as collateral, which the victim agreed to.
Subsequently, Lu told the victim that he was unable to repay the debt. Instead, he proposed that the victim keep the gold bars if the victim paid an additional 3,000 patacas, which the victim agreed to once again.
On March 9, Lu met with the victim once more and offered an additional three gold bars for 20,000 yuan. The victim agreed to purchase them.
However, when the victim attempted to sell the gold bars in the mainland, he discovered that they were counterfeit. The victim reported the case to the Judiciary Police.
After conducting expert inspections, the police confirmed that the “gold bars” contained no gold at all.
Lu was arrested when he re-entered Macau through the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Saturday. Under questioning, Lu admitted to the crime.
Lu has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fraud charges, Lei said.
