Triad surveillance stepped up after chopping attack on gangland boss
Revenge attacks feared after alleged gangster hurt amid underworld struggle for power
Police have stepped up surveillance on a notorious triad amid fears of revenge attacks after a brazen chopper assault on an alleged gangland boss last week.
Sources say the 49-year-old victim is connected to a casino junket operator in Macau and is believed to be a member of the Wo Shing Wo triad who is known in underworld circles as Fei Lo Kei, meaning "fat Kei". He is believed to have been targeted by the boss of a rival gang.
To prevent revenge attacks, officers have intensified their watch over the two gangs and will warn them not to cause further trouble, a police source said.
"We will raid entertainment venues controlled by the two gangs," the source said. "It is to deliver a message to them that police are closely monitoring their activities and action will be taken if any trouble erupts."
The attack on the man took place at about 12.45am last Friday, when the alleged gang leader stopped the Mercedes-Benz he was driving at a red light at the junction of Lai Chi Kok Road and Boundary Street.
The man's 24-year-old girlfriend, a part-time model, was also in the sports car at the time.
According to police, the car was rammed from behind and when the man got out of the vehicle, he was set upon by three or four knife-wielding masked men.
The attackers fled in a seven-seater car, which had been used to ram the Mercedes-Benz. It was later found abandoned and set alight in Yuen Long.
The victim, who was slashed on the back and arms, escaped serious injury and has since been discharged from hospital.
On Monday, anti-triad officers arrested a middle-aged man in connection with the attack.
A source said the victim was recently involved in a dispute with a rival faction of the Wo Shing Wo triad headed by a gangster known as Bun Bei Song, or "broken-nose Song".
"Their dispute is about the bouncers operating at a mahjong parlour in Sham Shui Po," the source said. "Intelligence shows the victim recently took over the bouncer operation from Bun Bei Song through the influence of his girlfriend."
The source said the girlfriend had inherited her father's assets and become one of the mahjong parlour's main shareholders.
The Sham Shui Po anti-triad squad is investigating.