A man and a woman were arrested on Friday for spray-painting a supermarket’s roller shutter with four black Chinese characters meaning “repay your debts”, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheuk Kou Chi said during a regular press conference on Monday.
The two local suspects are a couple in their 30s. The male surnamed Ieong told the police that he is a salesman, the female surnamed Ng works as a casino PR staff.
According to Cheuk, the person in charge of the supermarket in Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, in Areia Preta reported to the police on July 17 that the shop’s roller shutter had been spray-painted with four Chinese characters meaning “pay your debts.”
Thanks to CCTV footage from the supermarket and nearby areas, PSP officers discovered that Ng drove Ieong to Rua do Padre Eugénio Taverna at around 2:30 a.m. on July 17. Ieong got out of the car and walked to the supermarket and then spray-painted the roller shutter during which Ng drove around the neighbourhood. Afterwards, Ieong got back into the car in Rua Padre Eugénio Taverna and Ng finally drove to the car park of a residential building in Avenida de Vale das Borboletas in Coloane.
PSP officers went to the couple’s flat in Coloane on Friday and took them in for questioning. Ieong confessed to committing the crime and claimed that the younger brother of the person in charge of the supermarket owed his friend HK$200,000. He claimed that he merely wanted to help his friend push the debtor to repay. Ieong told the police that Ng did not know about this.
However, according to the CCTV footage that showed Ng driving Ieong to the area of the crime scene and then drove around the neighbourhood waiting for him, the police suspect, according to Cheuk, that Ng is an accomplice in the case.
The person in charge of the supermarket told the police that he doesn’t have any debts, and neither does he know Ieong. The victim also said he seldom contacts his brother and requested the police to investigate further.
The case has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for follow-up.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Monday shows PSP officers (behind) escorting the two suspects to the PSP Intelligence Department.
