Drugging suspected in robbery

A Hong Kong man is believed to have been drugged by having smoke blown into his face before being handcuffed and robbed by four men in Shenzhen, police said yesterday.

The 48-year-old man told officers he was assaulted and forced to reveal the numbers for his two bank cards during his overnight ordeal.

Police said robbers used the bank cards to withdraw about $120,000 from his two bank accounts.

The victim said he was accosted by four robbers outside Shenzhen railway station at 3pm on Monday as he was making his way back to Hong Kong. One of them blew cigarette smoke towards his face.

'The victim felt dizzy after inhaling the smoke and then he followed the four men into a taxi before he fainted,' a police spokeswoman said. 'When he woke up, he found himself handcuffed and inside premises in Sha Tau Sai Tsuen, Pan Tin. His property was grabbed, he was assaulted and forced to reveal the numbers for his two bank cards.'

The victim, who suffered injuries to his face and hands, was held overnight before being released yesterday morning.