Crime | Plan to establish an illegal hostel turns into scam

A plan by two men to establish an illegal hostel in Macau has turned into a scam, with one of the partners accusing the other of unlawfully withholding his investment, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said during the police forces’ joint press conference on Wednesday.
The case goes back to December 19, 2019, when the alleged victim presented the case to the PJ, saying that he and another man had agreed to establish a partnership business in Macau in the form of an illegal hostel.
He gave his partner RMB57,800, which would be used to establish the lodgings.
He said he then lost contact with his partner and, fearing he had been scammed, reported the matter to the police.
After a preliminary investigation, the PJ identified the suspect. They found that the man had already crossed the border from Macau into the mainland.
There was a new development in the case on Saturday, September 19, when the suspect attempted to re-enter Macau. He was intercepted by police at the Border Gate checkpoint.
Upon questioning, the 43-year-old male and mainland resident confessed to having received the money. He initially said that he had taken steps to establish the business, paying a landlord HKD9,000 as a rental deposit fee to secure the apartment in which the hostel would operate.
After that, the suspect said that procedures were taking a long time and eventually, he used the remaining money to gamble in a casino, losing all of it, before returning to the mainland.
The man was referred to the Public Prosecutions Office on September 21, and has been charged with abuse of trust.