The Judiciary Police (PJ) nabbed a mainlander on Sunday for cheating four pawnshops out of HK$100,000 by pawning four fake Rolex watches, PJ spokesman Chan Wun Man said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Chan, the about 56-year-old suspect, surnamed Zhu, told police that he is unemployed.
Chan said that the suspect swindled four pawn shops located in Nape and Zape last month.
Chan told The Macau Post Daily that only the fourth pawn shop which had been defrauded by the suspect reported the case to the police, while the first three pawn shops didn’t bother.
Chan did not say how the police got to know about the three other cases.
According to Chan, the fourth case happened on December 9. At about 5 a.m. that day, Zhu went into the shop and hocked a purported Rolex watch for HK$25,000.
Zhu left Macau at about 6 a.m. that same morning via the Barrier Gate checkpoint. He was nabbed by PJ officers when he re-entered Macau via the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Sunday night, the spokesman said.
Under questioning, Zhu admitted to the fraud. He claimed that he had paid 23,000 yuan (HK$25,980) for each of the four bogus Rolexes on the mainland. He hocked each watch for HK$25,000 in cash from each of the pawn shops, the spokesman said.
He also told the police that he gambled away all the ill-gotten money in local casinos within an hour of the pawning the counterfeit watches, Chan said.
Zhu has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further investigation. He faces possible arraignment on aggravated fraud, Chan said.
According to Article 211 of the Macau Penal Code, aggravated fraud is punishable by up to five years behind bars or a fine.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man (left) addresses yesterday’s regular press conference while Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Choi Iok Kin looks at his files. Photo: Kristy Chan
