Hong Kong police officers have arrested nine suspects who staged a fake crypto deal and robbed a cryptocurrency trader of HK$3 million (US$384,585). According to a report by SCMP, the suspects lured the victim, a 55-year-old crypto trader, along with his two friends, aged 32 and 38, under the pretense of selling Tether (USDT).
When the victim and his friends arrived at the venue, a commercial unit on Metropolis Drive in Hung Hom, the source further revealed that “a gang of seven to eight men carrying knives, hammers and retractable batons rushed into the unit and attacked the [trader] and his 32-year-old friend before fleeing with his bag carrying HK$3 million in cash along with the woman (another suspect).”
Due to the attack from the suspects, the victim and one of his friends sustained injuries to their arms and heads and were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment while the other friend was unharmed, fortunately.
During one of the raids, in search of the suspects, one of them wanted to escape from the police and tried to climb down the side of a Hong Kong industrial building but was later caught.
After three of the arrested suspects tested preliminary-positive for the coronavirus and were sent to the hospital for treatment, about 20 officers from the Kowloon West regional crime unit were forced to go home and isolate themselves as a precautionary measure and Covid-19 self-test kits were arranged to be sent to their homes.
As of the time of writing, none of the suspects have been charged. The three suspects that were sent to the hospital for Covid-19 treatments have also not been released while the others are still at Hung Hom Police Station for questioning.
Crypto Thieves Posing as Buyers in Hong Kong
In a similar development, detectives from the Kwun Tong criminal investigation unit in Hong Kong went after a gang of thieves that made away with USDT worth about US$448,700 after robbing a woman at knifepoint. The criminals had also posed as buyers and had earlier conducted two transactions with the woman to earn her trust.
