A jewellery salesman claims he had his briefcase containing gold ornaments worth $300,000 switched for one with plastic bottles while having a meal in a Yau Ma Tei restaurant yesterday.

The 48-year-old, identified only by his surname Fung, told police he put his case on the floor of the restaurant in Ning Po Street at 2pm.

As he ate his meal, a well-dressed Pakistani couple approached and the woman asked him to show her the correct way to use chopsticks.