Crime | Tourist prosecuted over unauthorized drone flight

This photo unrelated to the criminal case shows a drone at the Nam Van Lake area

A tourist from the mainland is being prosecuted for an unlawful drone flight which occurred on the evening of July 2 in the Nam Van Lake area, a Public Security Police Force (PSP) spokesperson informed yesterday during a press conference.
The man, of approximately 30 years, was chased by the police after an officer on duty at the Government’s Headquarters noticed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) commonly known as a “drone” flying over the area of the Nam Van Lake.

The police found the presence of the drone during the evening and in an area very close to the government headquarters very suspicious, and started a manhunt in all the area to find the operator of the equipment. He was located a few minutes later in the leisure area of the lake.

Questioned by the police, the man admitted to be the drone operator, saying that he was a tourist. The man said he was walking by the area and he found it interesting. This prompted him to use the UAV to film the surrounding area, from the Nam Van to the Macau Tower.

According to the PSP, the UAV weighed 743 grams, which according to the law would require both an authorization to fly during nighttime and an identification tag with the owner’s name and contact, in line with the new rules published by the Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) in late September last year. These laws require all drones weighing over 250 grams to be identified in addition to establishing a security zone around a list of government institutions and other “sensitive” areas. Such rules prevent UAVs from entering the airspace within 50 meters of the Government Headquarters, the Legislative Assembly building, and the Court of Final Appeal building, as well as the official residences of the Chief Executive and principal officials of Macau and the Central People’s Government.

The PSP informed that they have issued an official letter to the AACM which details their findings, and the AACM will now deal with the case.

In the case of unlawful use of UAVs, the new regulations set a penalty fee that ranges from MOP2,000 to MOP20,000 in addition to other sanctions.

In a separate case reported by the same police force, a 20-year-old non-resident worker is being charged with stealing a bag from a man lying on the street.

The case started with a report to the police from a passer-by that stated a man was lying on the street.

A patrol from the PSP was sent to the location finding the man sleeping on a stone bench. When questioned by the police the man, who had been drinking a lot and eventually had fallen asleep in that place, said his bag that allegedly contained cash, credit cards and mobile phones worth a total of MOP22,000 had been stolen.

A further investigation, through the viewing of street video surveillance cameras, identified a Filipino, around 20 years old, who resides in a nearby building.

Upon questioning by the police, the suspect admitted to have taken the bag but denied that he had any of the possessions mentioned by the owner.

He told the police he disposed  the bag in the rubbish bin nearby after not finding any valuable items inside.

He is being charged for theft.

Two casino employees charged for fraud and forgery

Two local resident men, aged 24 and 25, have been accused by their employer, a local casino company, of trying to commit fraud by forging documents to grant a casino credit line of HKD5 million to be used by a third party. The credit line aimed to facilitate gamblers’ access to money without having to carry it into Macau, the Judiciary Police (PJ) informed in press conference.

The complaint to the PJ was filed by the employer who told the police that the men had submitted the aforementioned documents in order to acquire such credit from the company.

For the time being, the company has not reported any loss, as the credit was not granted.

In a separate case, the police informed that a 33-year-old from the mainland has been accused of extortion and providing false declarations to the police.

The case started on June 30 at around 5 a.m., when the suspect presented a complaint to the PJ accusing another man (51) of having pushed him to the ground, causing him injuries.

The event, which allegedly occurred in a casino in Cotai, was investigated and a viewing of the casino CCTV revealed a different story. The accuser can be seen asking for tips from the other man who refused, after which point he grabbed him with both arms before falling on the ground.

Questioned by the police, the suspect informed that the man threatened to file a complaint against him if he did not forfeit HKD 500,000.

The first man was detained and presented to the Public Prosecutions Office on the charges of extortion and false declarations to the police.