The suspects, surnamed Tam, 44, and Lam, 35, are both unemployed mainland residents. According to the newspaper, they will face charges of illegal lending for gambling and unlawful detention, and have been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation.
The victim, a young non-resident, was approached at around 11 p.m. on April 30 at a casino in Macau’s NAPE district by a loan shark offering funds to recover gambling losses, as cited in Vá Kio.
He agreed to borrow HKD 30,000 (€ 3,276.56) and transferred RMB 17,000 (€ 2,130.27) upfront as interest. Under the agreement, no further interest would be deducted during gambling, and he signed a promissory note before receiving casino chips.
After losing the entire amount, the victim was taken by the initial intermediary to meet Tam and Lam. The two suspects then escorted him to a hotel room in Macau, where he was confined and pressured to repay the debt.
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At around 1 p.m. on May 1, the victim managed to secretly call the police. The Judiciary Police quickly traced the location, rescued the victim, and arrested the two suspects at the scene.
During the operation, officers seized two mobile phones and HKD 1,000 (€ 109.24) in cash. Investigations are ongoing and that at least one accomplice remains at large, the police stated to Vá Kio.
