The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted a casino loan-sharking gang last week, arresting two mainlanders, PJ spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said at a special press conference yesterday.
The two suspects, aged 26 and 35, told the police that they’re jobless.
According to Cheong, the police received a report on Sunday from a man saying that a family member had borrowed money from a loan shark for gambling and was subsequently confined by them against his will. The police soon located the victim in a hotel guestroom in Zape and rescued him on the same day. Two suspects were also arrested at the scene.
The victim told the police that he borrowed HK$60,000 from a man for casino gambling in Zape on Saturday. He was required to pay an upfront “handling fee” of HK$5,000 and 20 percent of his winnings under certain conditions as “interest.” They also signed a loan contract, with the victim giving his car keys to the man.
The victim and a loan shark then gambled together, with Li and Chen acting as lookouts.
The victim initially won money and cleared his debts. After continuing gambling, the victim lost money again and borrowed more from the same gang to try to recover his losses. In the end, he gambled away all the money, having paid a total of HK$50,000 in interest on both occasions. He was subsequently confined in the guestroom for 15 hours, during which he contacted his family for help.
Li and Chen were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of false imprisonment and usury. Cheong noted that the police were still investigating the whereabouts of the loan shark who lent money to the victim.
The two hooded male loan-sharking suspects from the mainland are escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle after yesterday’s special press conference. – Photo: William Chan
