The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested two men from the mainland on Monday for operating a fake base station in a car, PJ spokesman Choi Ian Fai said during a special press conference yesterday.
Choi identified the two suspects, both surnamed Ouyang, as a 30-year old and a 32-year-old. They are not related.
A fake base station is telecom equipment which sends out a signal, disconnecting mobile phone users in an area from their legitimate base stations and who then receive messages from the bogus one instead.
On Monday, police officers checked a car that was illegally parked in Cotai and saw two men who they suspected were operating a fake base station in the vehicle. The Public Security Police (PSP) decided to pass the case to the Judiciary Police (PJ) for further investigation, Choi said.
PJ officers arrived at the scene and quickly confirmed that the two men were operating a fake base station in the car, Choi said.
During questioning, the two suspects admitted that they operated a fake base station. The duo told the police that they were hired by a criminal gang and that they each were paid 500 patacas per day to operate the station, according to Choi.
Choi said that it was the first time that the police discovered a criminal gang using a fake base station to send gambling loan advertisements. In previous cases of fake base stations, criminals sent false gaming-related advertisements, according to Choi.
Choi said the two suspects drove around Cotai every day with the aim of sending gambling loan messages from loan sharks targetting gamblers in the area.
Choi said that the police also found usurious loan records in the car, adding the police believe that the gang also ran casino loan-sharking activities.
The police believe that the gang had been operating the vehicle-based station for about six months, Choi said, adding that the police were still looking for the kingpin of the gang and other suspects.
Choi said the police believe that the car seized in the case is registered to the kingpin.
Choi said the two suspects would be transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for possible arraignments on charges of organised crime membership, loan sharking, and operating equipment in violation of telecommunication regulations.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the two suspects (one hooded and the other masked) to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Fake base station equipment and other items seized by the police are displayed in a pressroom of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
