Y2K conmen may be drugging victims
A herb for treating asthma may have been used to drug people and con them out of large sums of money in return for pills claimed to cure the Y2K bug.
There have been several cases in recent weeks of people inexplicably handing over their money to strangers. Police have found no such drugs on any suspects, but say it is otherwise a mystery as to why people would hand over the money.
They believe the drug could be placed in a cigarette. The conmen would blow smoke into the potential victim's face before asking for the money.
In 1995, several people gave their ATM card numbers to strangers after drinking doctored cartons of drink bought from convenience stores.
Senior inspector at the Crime Prevention Bureau, Chiang Kwok-wah, said: 'We have been spreading messages in a wide range of promotional campaigns but people are still being cheated. We're scratching our heads.' Mr Chiang said there was no tangible evidence the victims had been drugged but the possibility was not ruled out. 'It could be some kind of Chinese medicine,' he said.
On October 21, a woman, 46, was cheated of $500,000 in exchange for 2,640 stomach pills said by three conmen in Tuen Mun to cure the Y2K bug.
Two similar cases involving a total of $170,000 were reported on October 4 in Kwun Tong and Aberdeen.
A government chemist said unless the concentration of the drug was high, it would be difficult to detect once the victim returned to consciousness.
Kwan Chi-yee, president of the Hong Kong Chinese Herbalists Association, identified the possible Chinese herb as Datua metel L., a wild flower commonly found in south Guangdong and Fujian.
Traditionally, it was smoked by people seeking a cure for their asthma.
The dried herb was cut into pieces and rolled in cigarette paper.
The smoke could make people dizzy or hallucinate, Mr Kwan said.
'It is now rarely used in Hong Kong given its toxic nature. It could even kill if the user overdoses,' Mr Kwan said.
