A man from the mainland was arrested on Saturday for engaging in illegal currency exchange activities, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Chong identified the suspect as a 46-year-old man surnamed Zhao who told the police that he is jobless.
According to Chong, during the investigation of a suspected fraud case that occurred in a casino in Zape on Saturday, the police discovered that Zhao was involved in illegal currency exchange activities. Zhao approached a male gambler in the casino’s smoking lounge and offered a currency exchange deal. The gambler showed interest and agreed to exchange chips worth HK$20,000 for 18,750 yuan. Zhao then scanned a QR code provided by the gambler and transferred the 18,750 yuan to him. However, the gambler claimed that he did not receive the money and refused to hand over the chips, leading to a dispute between them that alerted security, who later called the police.
The police apprehended Zhao and the gambler on the spot. Under questioning, Zhao admitted to having engaged in illegal currency exchange activities since last month. Zhao said he had earned HK$70 for every HK$10,000 exchanged. He told the police that he had made a total profit of HK$1,050. The police seized a total of HK$49,000 in cash and chips and a mobile phone from Zhao.
Chong pointed out that the payment QR code presented by the gambler actually belongs to another person’s account, adding that further investigation was required to determine if fraud or other crimes are involved.
Zhao was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing an illegal currency exchange charge, according to Chong.
