The Judiciary Police have separately arrested three men and a woman from the mainland for engaging in loansharking activities, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
In the first case, there are three suspects. A 37-year-old woman surnamed Jiang, two 29-year-old men surnamed Zhang and Wan, told the police that they are jobless.
According to Cheong, the police received a report about a loan-sharking activity from the security department of a casino in Cotai on Sunday. A man from the mainland met a member of a loan-sharking gang on that day, who introduced the man to the three suspects as he wanted to borrow money, and they discussed the deal’s terms. The man borrowed HK$240,000 from the gang and agreed to pay 20 percent “interest” for each winning hand and signed a “loan agreement”.
Cheong noted that Wan collected the interest while Jiang and Zhang monitored the victim while he was playing the tables. The victim had lost over HK$160,000 in chips after six hours of gambling. Zhang told him to stop gambling but the victim refused, leading to a dispute that alerted the security staff to call the police. The police arrived and apprehended the three suspects on the spot.
The police investigation showed that Wan had earned HK$100,000 in “interest” from the victim. The police confiscated HK$160,000 in chips involved in the case.
In the second case, the 35-year-old male suspect surnamed Chen told the police that he is a businessman.
According to Cheong, the police received a report from a male mainlander on Friday, saying that Chen had arranged a gambling loan for him. The man had been approached by Chen in a casino in Cotai, who offered him a high-interest loan. The victim invested HK$100,000, while Chen added HK$200,000, totalling HK$300,000 as “gambling capital”. Both agreed in a signed deal that around 26 to 30 percent of each winning stake would be deducted as interest.
According to Cheong, the victim was down to HK$90,000 after six hours of gambling. Chen asked him to stop but he refused. When the victim went outside to smoke, Chen took the remaining HK$90,000 and left the casino. The victim could not reach Chen and reported the case to the police on the same day. Under questioning, the victim indicated that approximately HK$70,000 was taken as interest from him.
Police found Chen in another casino in Cotai the same day and arrested him.
The four suspects in the two cases have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of usury.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
