A man from the Chinese mainland was arrested on Monday for assisting his accomplices to steal chips from a male gambler while placing bets on his behalf, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference yesterday.
Leng identified the suspect as a 33-year-old man surnamed Weng, who claimed to be jobless.
According to Leng, the gambler came across a video on Douyin (known as TikTok overseas) in May featuring someone claiming to be a gambling expert who offered assistance with “proxy betting.” The gambler travelled to Macau on July 1 and 2, where he met Weng and his two accomplices at a casino in Cotai. He handed over HK$500,000 for them to place bets on his behalf. During the gambling session, the victim noticed that the two accomplices were taking the opportunity to steal chips from the gaming table. Although he did not intervene at the time, as he was winning money, he later felt aggrieved and reported a total loss of HK$200,000 to the police on August 16.
Leng noted that Weng was tasked with keeping watch and distracting the victim, while his accomplices took advantage of the situation to steal chips. The police discovered that the gang was involved in at least seven similar cases, with each incident resulting in losses of no less than HK$50,000 in chips.
The police apprehended Weng on Monday at the Barrier Gate checkpoint, seizing a smartphone and HK$20,000 in chips from him. Under questioning, Weng admitted to receiving 2,000 yuan for his role in assisting his accomplices with the theft.
Weng was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a theft charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded theft suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
