Six individuals, including five men and one woman aged between 23 and 52, were apprehended by the Hong Kong Police Force for stealing 51 million Yen in cash in Sheung Wan. The robbery occurred when two employees of a Japanese precious metal company were transporting 190 million Yen for currency exchange, and two assailants seized a backpack containing 51 million Yen from them.
The police swiftly captured the two alleged robbers of Japanese nationality and a female accomplice at the Hong Kong International Airport, where they were found with 4.6 million Yen of the stolen money. Subsequently, two male employees of a cryptocurrency exchange were also arrested on suspicion of aiding in the disposal of the stolen cash. Additionally, the police located another 7 million Yen at a money changer.
Further investigation revealed that one of the Japanese victims, aged 27, who reported the robbery was actually involved in the crime and provided insider information. Superintendent Sam Sin noted that the perpetrators appeared well-informed about the victims’ driving route and schedule. The police have recovered approximately 11 million Yen so far and have not ruled out additional arrests, while the Japanese Consulate General in Hong Kong confirmed that its nationals were victimized but did not disclose further details.
In a separate incident in December in the same district, employees of a Japanese luxury goods company were robbed of about 1 billion Yen while en route to exchange money. Although seventeen individuals were arrested in connection with that case, the stolen cash remains unrecovered. Authorities have not established any link between the December robbery and the recent incident.
