Hong Kong police have arrested 15 suspects in connection with a robbery outside a currency exchange, during which four suitcases containing 1 billion yen (US$6.3 million) were snatched within 30 seconds as part of a “meticulously planned” plot.
The force said on Monday that it was still trying to recover the cash, adding that the robbery targeted two employees of a Japanese company specialising in cryptocurrency and luxury goods, who had planned to exchange 1 billion yen, or about HK$50 million, at the shop on Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan.
The pair were ambushed when they arrived at the shop at 9am on Thursday last week by three assailants who jumped out of a private car.
“One of them brandished a 20cm [8-inch] butcher knife and threatened the two employees, snatching the cash in the four suitcases and loading them into their car before fleeing the scene,” Superintendent Sin Kwok-ming said.
The 11 men and four women, aged 20 to 69, were arrested in connection with the robbery. All are local residents and several are known to have triad backgrounds.
Seven of them – six men and one woman – have been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
They are decoration workers Lee Ka-ho, 32, and Cheng Kai-hang, 30; construction worker Chan Siu-yuk, 37; and jobless defendants Choi Heung-yan, 54, Ma King-hong, 37, Ngai Sheung-ping, 40, and Ho Sin-sin, 53.
All seven accused were remanded in custody after a brief hearing at Eastern Court on Monday morning, pending further police investigations.
The force said all those believed to be involved in the robbery had been apprehended, but it had not ruled out the possibility of further arrests.
Chief Inspector Man Chi-yeung said the robbery was a “meticulously planned and violent operation”, characterised by a high level of professional execution.
He added that before the operation, the syndicate had conducted surveillance and set up a strategic ambush nearby.
“As soon as the victims appeared, the suspects manoeuvred their private car into position, jumped out, and snatched the suitcases. Their technique appeared highly skilled and efficient, with the entire robbery completed in about 30 seconds,” Man said.
“They then fled the scene in their getaway car. Shortly after leaving the area, they met up with a backup vehicle, where two other accomplices were waiting to assist in transferring the suitcases from one car to the other.”
The assailants then abandoned the first car on Jervois Street.
Upon searching the private car, officers recovered a butcher knife suspected to be linked to the crime, along with used masks and drinks.
The seven-seater vehicle was later found in the New Territories.
“Based on these observations, it is clear that this group had a precise and detailed division of labour, including roles for scouting, executing the robbery on-site and coordinating the escape,” Man said.
The force added that it was still tracing the stolen funds and investigating whether the syndicate knew the currency exchange staff, as well as how they learned about the two victims’ transaction.
Police also urged anyone with information regarding the case to contact the force’s Crime Hong Kong Island Regional Headquarters at 6892 3098.
The force last Thursday arrested a 43-year-old man holding a two-way exit permit for mainland China at Sheung Wan MTR station in connection with the case.
But Sin said on Monday that investigations suggested the individual was unlikely to be directly linked to the robbery.
The superintendent added that the suspect was found in possession of Part 1 poisons and a suitcase containing foreign currency, with the force investigating the origin of the money.
-- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
