The Judiciary Police (PJ) apprehended three men from the Chinese mainland on Monday for robbing a middle-aged mainland man of a smartphone, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspects as a 32-year-old male surnamed Li, who claimed to be jobless, a 46-year-old male surnamed Wang, who also claimed to be jobless, and a 46-year-old hotel owner surnamed Wang.
According to Chao, the Judiciary Police received a referral on Sunday evening from the Public Security Police (PSP) about the man who had been robbed by the trio at the entrance of a hotel in Cotai.
Chao noted that the victim had met a mainland friend at a casino earlier this year. His friend was in need of a loan to recover gambling losses, and the victim introduced him to Li, whom he had previously met at the casino and offered to lend money. Chao added that the victim did not partake in the loan agreement between Li and his friend and received no commission or other benefits.
Chao said that the victim encountered the three suspects on Sunday outside a casino in Cotai, where Li requested that the victim contact the friend to demand repayment. When the victim refused to assist, Li and the two Wangs, along with another man, who was still at large at the time of the press conference, assaulted the victim. The victim attempted to report the case to the police, but one of the suspects forcibly took his smartphone to prevent him from making the call. The altercation eventually drew the attention of hotel security. The three suspects then fled the scene while the other man quickly left Macau.
Chao mentioned that the victim, who reported a loss of a smartphone valued at HK$4,000, sustained multiple injuries. The police apprehended the trio on Monday in a restaurant in Nape and in a hotel guestroom. The police later recovered the smartphone in the hotel lobby.
The trio were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, each facing a charge of robbery.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the three hooded robbery suspects to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
