A 31-year-old mainland man was arrested for cheating and robbing a friend out of HK$450,000 in chips on Wednesday, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said in a regular press conference on Friday.
The suspect told the police that he is a businessman surnamed Lai.
According to the spokesperson, the suspect met one of the victims several months ago, and after losing HK$400,000 in casino gambling, the suspect contacted the victim on Wednesday, claiming he wanted to borrow HK$450,000 in casino chips, in order to “take a photo of the chips and send it to his wife to pretend he had not lost any money at the casino”.
The victim, believing the suspect’s story, borrowed chips from a friend, and the three arranged to meet at a café in a hotel in Cotai. However, when the suspect arrived, he immediately snatched the chips and attempted to flee, the spokesperson said.
The suspect was intercepted by casino security guards in the hotel lobby, after which the two victims called for assistance from police officers in the casino.
The Judiciary Police said at the press conference that their investigation indicated the stolen chips belonged to the two victims, the spokesperson said, adding that the suspect refused to cooperate with the police and has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing robbery and fraud involving a considerable amount of money charges.
Evidence seized from the robbery-fraud suspect such as chips and a smartphone are displayed during Friday’s regular press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
