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Clifford Lo

A mainland tourist was beaten up after allegedly being caught cheating at mahjong by local players, according to police.
The man was accused by fellow players of using special contact lenses to see marks made in invisible ink on the tiles – a scam made famous by the 1989 film God of Gamblers, starring Chow Yun-fat.
Crime-squad officers are investigating whether the 37-year-old, surnamed Zeng, had accomplices to help him with the ruse.
The mainlander was assaulted when he was playing mahjong with three local villagers in a Fan Tin Tsuen grocery off Castle Peak Road in Lok Ma Chau at about 10.15pm on Monday.
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According to police, he was accused of cheating during the games before he was beaten and hit with a chair.
The victim received head and shoulder injuries in the incident, a police spokesman said. He was discharged from North District Hospital after treatment.
Officers arrested two male villagers aged 30 and 58 in connection with the attack.
Before lunchtime on Tuesday, officers went to the grocery and seized two sets of mahjong tiles for inspection.
“Initial investigations showed some marked tiles were found in the two sets of mahjong, but no contact lenses or spectacles [used to see the invisible marks] were found,” a source with the knowledge of the investigation said.
He said police were investigating who owned the two sets of mahjong tiles and who made the invisible markings.
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“It is possible arrests will be made later in connection with the ruse”, the source said.
After leaving the hospital, the mainlander was taken to the police’s Border District Headquarters in Man Kam To Road where he was being questioned on Tuesday evening.
It is understood that by wearing special contact lenses to see invisible ink on marked tiles, the mainlander could have won rounds of mahjong games.
“We are also investigating how long the ruse had been used and how much money was involved in the scam,” the source said.
It is understood the mainlander came to Hong Kong to visit his wife - a Hong Kong resident - who lives in the village.
Officers are investigating. So far, no one has been arrested in connection with the ruse.
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Caught in the act? Suspected invisible ink mahjong scammer beaten with chair by fellow players

Police found two sets of tiles marked with invisible ink. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Two arrested for attacking the mainland tourist in a Fan Tin Tsuen grocery in Lok Ma Chau on Monday night, police are still investigating
