A MAN was shot in the leg and robbed of almost $7 million in Tuen Mun yesterday. Choi Hoi-sun, said he had collected the $6.8 million in cash from relatives in China and was taking it to Tsim Sha Tsui to change into Hong Kong dollars. He told police he was ambushed by two men in the lobby of his flat in Tin King Estate at 7 am as he and his wife were leaving to catch a bus. One of the men shot Mr Choi, 44, in the thigh before grabbing the cash and escaping on a motorcycle towards Tin King Road. Mr Choi had been carrying most of the money in a black briefcase while his wife, Wong So-king, 36, had the rest in a green canvas bag. Although there was $400,000 in local currency, most of the money was in banknotes from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States. Mr Choi was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital where doctors removed the bullet from his left leg. He was in satisfactory condition last night. His wife sustained cut knees during the confrontation and was treated and discharged. Police found a spent cartridge from a semi-automatic pistol in the lift lobby. Detective superintendent Stephen Fung Kin-man of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau said Mr Choi had been planning to change the money into Hong Kong dollars for his relatives in China. It is illegal for Chinese citizens to buy or sell foreign exchange on the mainland, but the recent relaxation of regulations has made it possible for foreign currencies to be taken out of the country. Police said this was not the first time Mr Choi had collected money from relatives on the mainland to bring to the territory and exchange for Hong Kong dollars. He had even used container truck drivers to carry the money across the border for him. Detectives believe the robbery might have been witnessed by neighbours and by the driver of a light goods van parked outside Tin Tun House during the holdup. Anyone with information is urged to call the police hotline on 527 7177.
