Macau police arrested a mainland gambler yesterday on suspicion of murder and arson at the Venetian Macao, the world's largest casino resort.
The man, 38, from Macau's neighbouring Zhuhai city , was arrested after a 39-year-old woman, surnamed Liang, was found unconscious by firefighters on a burned bed in her Venetian hotel room on Wednesday. She died in hospital on Friday morning.
The fire in the hotel room had been doused by the hotel's sprinkler system.
A police spokesman said an attempt had been made to strangle the woman and then her bed and bedclothes had been set alight.
Police said the victim, a Guangdong native, met the suspect on December 12 and that he had borrowed money from her and was unable to pay it back.
A day before the killing, the suspect allegedly borrowed HK$200,000 from the victim, who also apparently frequented the casino, and gambled it all away.
