Five arrested for the 'murder' of gambling den operator

Yu Wing Chan

Five people, including three women, were arrested in connection to the suspected murder of a 33-year-old operator of an illegal gambling den in Jordan, police said.

The victim, surnamed Pang, had been struck in the head more than 10 times, allegedly for "stealing" one of the suspects' girlfriends.

Police received a report of the unconscious Pang found outside 61-63 Pilkem Street around 6am on Sunday. Pang was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7.20am.

Initially classified as manslaughter, the case was reclassified as murder after an examination revealed at least two wounds, two to four centimeters in size, at the back of the victim's skull.

According to Ching Chi-yan, the assistant district commander of crime in Yau Tsim District, the alleged murder took place around 2am on Sunday.

"A man and a woman went to the gambling den to confront Pang. Downstairs, the man, later identified as 40-year-old Mo, reportedly pulled out a hammer and struck the back of Pang's head multiple times," he said.

"Mo then fled the scene, while the still-conscious Pang returned to the 500-square feet gambling den. Around 6am, Pang fell ill and was taken to the hospital, where he died," Ching added.

The police arrested three women and two men, aged 32 to 56, on Sunday. Some had triad backgrounds.

The 32-year-old woman, Yeung, who allegedly accompanied Pang downstairs, and Mo were arrested in Yau Ma Tei and Kowloon City respectively for murder.

The other three - a 34-year-old woman believed to be Pang's lover, a 42-year-old woman, and a 56-year-old man - were arrested in Kowloon City for assisting offenders.

"We believe the incident stemmed from personal disputes between Pang and Mo, and there was no evidence linking it to triad involvement or the illegal gambling operation," Ching said. However, drug-related paraphernalia was found in the gambling den, suggesting drug use on the premises.

Yeung's relationship with Mo, along with her involvement and beforehand knowledge of the crime is a direction of the police investigation, said Ching, adding that police were also investigating what Pang did in the three hours prior to his death.

The case is currently undergoing investigation, during which police seized tools used to ingest drugs inside the gambling den on Pilkem Street, Ching said.