A man from the mainland was arrested on Sunday for attempting to rob a gambler of his wallet, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Ho identified the suspect as a 35-year-old male surnamed Xia who claimed to be jobless.
According to Ho, the Judiciary Police (PJ) received a call on Saturday from a mainland man who said that he had been robbed in a hotel guestroom in Cotai.
Ho noted that the victim and Xia had gambled together in mid-June in a casino in Macau, where the victim won over HK$800,000. At that time, the victim gave Xia HK$10,000 in cash. However, Xia continued to demand HK$200,000 from the victim, which was refused.
Last Saturday evening, Xia went to the victim’s hotel guestroom in Cotai and again demanded HK$200,000 in cash, which the victim refused again. During the argument, the suspect suddenly grabbed the victim’s wallet, which contained various currencies, including US dollars, Thai baht, yuan and Hong Kong dollars, totalling about 27,000 patacas.
The victim’s neck and back were injured by Xia, but the victim ultimately managed to retrieve the wallet. Xia then quickly fled the scene.
The police identified Xia as the suspect and arrested him on Sunday at his flat in the Patane area. Under questioning, Xia refused to cooperate.
Xia has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing an attempted robbery charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
