An unemployed local man with previous theft convictions is suspected of stealing a watch worth HK$320,000 from a car the doors of which were unlocked, according to a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson during a special press conference yesterday.
The male suspect surnamed Chan is 28 years old, according to the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that police officers received a report of a theft from a car in a public car park in the northern district on Monday, where the car owner discovered that his watch left in the unlocked vehicle had been stolen.
Chan hocked the watch at a pawn shop for HK$25,000 and gambled the money away, the spokesperson said, adding that he borrowed money from a friend to get the watch back, and then hocked the watch at another pawn shop to get HK$180,000. He gambled the money away again.
PJ officers intercepted Chan on Estrada da Areia Preta on Wednesday, the spokesperson said, adding that after investigation, PJ officers found that Chan already has a criminal record for theft – Chan was sentenced to imprisonment in 2020 for aggravated theft, after being released from prison in June last year, Chan was again arrested for stealing property from cars in September last year as well as in January and June this year. All of these cases were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), and he is awaiting trial.
Chan was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday, facing charges of aggravated theft and fraud involving a considerable amount of money.
Mainlander cheats friend out of 200,000 yuan in gambling deal
Meanwhile, a 33-year-old man from the mainland claimed that he was a “skilled gambler” and had a “winning gambling template”, lured his friend into investing 200,000 yuan in his purported gambling scheme last October, but the victim lost contact after the suspect had gambled away all the money, the PJ spokesperson said during the special press conference yesterday.
The victim, a mainland man, reported to the Judiciary Police that the suspect claimed to be able to win at baccarat steadily by means of “buying two with one loss” and offered to sign a “capital preservation agreement”, under which he provided a “return” of about HK$20,000 initially, but later on he delayed repayment of the money, making various excuses.
The victim reported a loss of about 180,000 patacas when the suspect finally disappeared.
The police intercepted the suspect on Wednesday at the local airport. He admitted that he had meanwhile gambled away most of his friend’s money.
The suspect was transferred to MP yesterday, facing charges of fraud involving a considerable amount of money.
The hooded local theft suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers to a vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photos courtesy of TDM
Evidence seized from the mainland suspect including HK banknotes and two mobile phones is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
