Man arrested for MOP140,000 inheritance theft

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has arrested a 44-year-old male suspect, Chan, for his involvement in aggravated theft and improper access to a computer system.

The victim is a middle-aged female Macau resident. In late August 2020, the victim’s husband passed away in Macau due to an illness. It was not until February 2023, when the victim was dealing with her husband’s inheritance, that she discovered his Hong Kong Dollar and Macau Pataca bank accounts had been emptied.

Investigation revealed that about MOP140,000 (around HKD70,314 and MOP66,957) had been transferred out of the deceased’s accounts and into the bank account of the suspect, Chan, in 15 instalments between September 1-3, 2020.

It was determined that, on the day the victim’s husband passed away, the suspect went to the family’s home and claimed the victim’s cell phone had been purchased with his money and needed to be retrieved. The family members, knowing the suspect, handed over the phone without question.

The suspect then unlawfully accessed the deceased’s mobile banking account and proceeded to transfer the substantial funds out of the accounts over the course of three days, clearing out the balances.

When the victim discovered the missing funds in February 2023 and reported the incident, the police launched an investigation. On the morning of June 25 this year, the suspect was arrested as he was attempting to leave Macau. HT