The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man from the Chinese mainland for falsely accusing a friend of theft, PJ spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspect as a 41-year-old male surnamed Wei, who claimed that he is unemployed.
According to Cheong, the Judiciary Police received a notification from a hotel in Cotai on Tuesday about a theft case.
PJ officers contacted Wei regarding the theft, according to Cheong. Wei claimed that a man he met at a casino had stolen HK$30,000 (30,900 patacas) in chips from his hotel room at 10 a.m. last Saturday
Wei told the police that he had checked into the hotel with the man at 5 a.m. that day, placed the chips on the bedside table, and then fell asleep, according to Cheong. When Wei woke up, according to his version, both the man and the chips were gone.
However, Cheong said that a follow-up investigation showed that upon reviewing surveillance footage, PJ officers confirmed that Wei had been in and out of the room together with the man every time and neither had ever left the room alone – contradicting the suspect’s claim that the man had left the room first.
PJ officer summoned Wei for questioning on Wednesday. Cheong said that under questioning, PJ officers noticed that Wei’s testimony was found to be contradictory and his explanations unreasonable.
When asked again for more details about the case, according to Cheong, Wei admitted that he had actually lent the HK$30,000 in chips to the man and had subsequently lost contact with him.
In an attempt to use police resources to locate the man, Wei fabricated the theft and falsely accused him, according to Cheong.
Wei has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Wednesday, facing a false accusation charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Armindo Neves
