A mainlander was arrested on Saturday when he entered the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) checkpoint for stealing a client’s casino cash chips worth HK$570,000 three years ago, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said at a special press conference yesterday.
The 50-year-old suspect surnamed Luo told the police that he is unemployed.
According to Chan, a male mainlander in his thirties reported to the police on July 14, 2017 that a male escort had stolen casino chips worth HK$570,000 earlier that day from the hotel guestroom where both were staying. The victim then told the police that he had met Luo in the mainland about a month ago and had provided travel arrangements and also accompanied him to Macau, where they arrived on July 12, to gamble and sightsee. They shared a hotel guestroom in Cotai during their stay. On July 14 at about 8 a.m., both returned to the guestroom to take a rest after gambling. The victim had put gambling chips worth HK$570,000 on his bed and went out to buy cigarettes. When the victim returned to the room about 20 minutes later he discovered that the chips and Luo had vanished. The victim was unable to contact Luo and reported the case to the police.
According to Chan, PJ officers discovered that Luo had left Macau via the Cotai-Hengqin border checkpoint about an hour after stealing the chips. He was arrested when he re-entered the HZMB checkpoint on Saturday night and confiscated HK$50,000 in cash from him.
Under questioning, Luo admitted to committing the crime. However, he claimed that he had gambled away all the money before leaving Macau that year.
Luo was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing aggravated theft charges, according to Chan.
HK$50,000 in cash seized from the suspect is displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
The hooded suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
