Hong Kong police arrest 3 teens, rescue 19-year-old allegedly beaten with baseball bats and detained in hotel room over crypto profits of HK$180,000
- Insider says victim went to room at Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel in Hung Hom to meet people and trade virtual currency, but group detained and beat him
- Trio of teens arrested over alleged assault, unlawful detention and blackmail, with officers still hunting six others
Officers were still searching for another six teenagers in connection with the case at noon after the alleged assault in a room at the Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel on Tak Fung Street, Hung Hom just after 6am.
A source familiar with the case said the room had been used as a venue to trade virtual currencies.
“The victim was allegedly detained when he went there to meet the nine suspects – seven men and two women,” the insider said.
“The group demanded he pay HK$180,000 in profits earned from trading virtual currencies.”
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He said the victim was threatened and then beaten with baseball bats by two suspects.
The 19-year-old man managed to use his mobile phone to notify a female friend who called police.
Most of the suspects fled after they discovered police had been contacted.
The force said two men were arrested outside the hotel and the third was detained in the room.
The three, aged between 16 and 19, were detained on suspicion of assault, unlawful detention and blackmail.
The alleged victim suffered scratches to his arms and complained of pain in the waist area. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for treatment.
A police spokesman said officers were hunting for the other six – four male and two female suspects – allegedly involved.
Detectives from the Kowloon City anti-triad squad are handling the case.
Reports of criminal intimidation cases rose by 10.6 per cent last year to 1,505, from 1,361 in 2022.
Police handled 3,078 reports of serious assault in 2023 compared with 3,049 cases the year before.
