Police arrest 6 in 58m yen Sheung Wan robbery; victim suspected to be insider

Hong Kong police arrested six people, including three Japanese nationals, two mainlanders and one local, in connection with Friday’s daylight robbery of about 58 million yen (~ HK$2.94 million) outside a Sheung Wan currency exchange.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said one of the arrested Japanese men was among the two who initially reported being robbed.

Investigators believe he acted as an inside accomplice, supplying information to the two Japanese robbers.

Chow added that part of the cash was recovered, while some may have been converted to other currencies.

He declined to confirm links to an attempted robbery at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport but said police will liaise with Japanese authorities if needed.

The incident occurred at 9.47am yesterday when a female staff member at a currency exchange on Des Voeux Road Central reported seeing two men robbed outside the shop.

The victims had arrived with 58 million yen to exchange but were ambushed at the entrance.

Police attended quickly, spoke to staff at the shop and a neighboring exchange, and took a woman to the station for questioning.

The “SmartView” security camera network in crime hotspots helped lead to the rapid arrests.

Siu noted heightened patrols around high-risk premises such as gold shops, jewellery stores and currency exchanges, especially as the year-end winter crime prevention season begins.