Crime | Croupier and two gamblers arrested for embezzlement

A 48-year-old croupier and two gamblers from mainland China were arrested on the weekend after the casino at which the croupier was employed filed a complaint against the three. According to the casino’s estimates, the suspects’ actions led to a loss of at least HKD450,000, the Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson announced at yesterday’s press conference.
The casino security department told the police that the croupier had been collaborating with the two gamblers, a man (27) and a woman (44), in order to hand the pair winnings and exemptions from paying losses at a baccarat table on at least three different occasions.

After analyzing the surveillance footage provided by the casino, it was found that on January 20 the two suspects from the mainland played at the table at which the croupier was working, initially placing a bet of HKD90,000.

After the hand was placed, the bet was moved by the croupier, altering the loss to a win of HKD180,000.

A similar method was employed two days later. Although the croupier did not pass the pair any winnings, they were exempted from losing a bet of HKD90,000 as the initial bet was changed from “Player” to “Banker.”

On a third occasion, on January 24, the croupier once more converted the loss into a win by awarding the pair another HKD180,000.

On February 3, the three suspects were caught and taken into custody by the PJ. Questioned by the police authorities, they denied any of the crimes, claiming to have played in accordance with to the rules.

However, due to undeniable evidence in the possession of the police, they were presented to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for the crime of embezzlement.

In a separate case reported during the same press conference, a local man was charged with theft and arson. The case occurred on January 31, when the man went to a restaurant located in the Fai Chi Kei district to meet a woman for dinner. After dinner, he decided to take the woman home on his motorcycle, but with only one helmet in his possession, he stole another from a motorcycle parked nearby. As the helmet lock strap was secured to the motorcycle, he used a lighter to burn the strap to release it from the motorcycle, allegedly causing a fire that damaged the motorcycle.

After the arson case had been reported to the PJ by the Fire Services (CB) on February 1, the man surrendered to the PJ on the same day, giving his own account of the incident.

According to the police source, the value of the helmet stolen was MOP200 and the damages caused are calculated at approximately MOP5,000.

In a separate report made by the Public Security Police Force (PSP), a local woman (at least in her thirties) was caught by the police driving a vehicle despite having a suspended license following a trial in January.
The case occurred on February 2 around 11:30 a.m., when an officer on duty saw the driver turning from Rua dos Currais to Rua da Hortense in the Northern district.
The event caught the attention of the officer since, according to the traffic signs, drivers are not allowed to turn into the street from that direction.

The woman then failed to present a valid driving license and a search of  police records revealed that a judge had sentenced her one month earlier to a driving suspension.

She was charged with the crime of driving during the penalty period as well as aggravated disobedience.

Woman dies from carbon monoxide poisoning

A Vietnamese national has died while taking a shower in the early hours of February 4. On Saturday night, the 33 year-old woman’s husband became concerned for her welfare as she was taking a long time. He went to look for her, only to find her collapsed in the bathroom. He called an ambulance that took her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to the preliminary investigation she had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, allegedly because the gas water heater they were using in the apartment was installed in the toilet without proper ventilation. The case is still under investigation to ascertain with certainty the cause of death.