Five arrested after triad gang ‘debt collectors’ stage ambush on Kowloon Peak and steal two mobile phones and HK$2,500
Two other suspected triad members travelling in different car got away after police set up roadblock at bottom of Fei Ngo Shan
Four men suspected of being debt collectors for a Hong Kong triad gang stole HK$2,500 (US$318) and two mobile phones in a robbery in the early hours of Thursday on Kowloon Peak – but were arrested soon after when the victim raised the alarm.
A taxi driver was also taken into custody, while two other suspected triad members travelling in a different car got away after police set up a roadblock at the bottom of Fei Ngo Shan.
The victim, a 27-year-old man, who the Post understands owed the triad members money, had been driven to the top of the mountain around midnight from Cheung Sha Wan by the pair in a Mercedes-Benz.
When the victim got out of the car near a pavilion on the Fei Ngo Shan Road hillside, the four suspected debt collectors got out of a taxi that was already parked there and approached him.
“The victim then realised it was an ambush and tried to escape, but was stopped by the gang,” a police source said. “He was punched and robbed of HK$2,500 and two mobile phones in the incident.”
After the hold-up, the gang then fled in the two vehicles.
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The victim suffered facial abrasions and was taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong for treatment after the attack. He was able to get help from a female passer-by, who called police at 12.07am.
Police first responders set up a roadblock at the bottom of the hill, at the junction of Jat’s Incline and Ngau Chi Wan Street in Choi Hung.
About 10 minutes later, police intercepted the cab at the roadblock and arrested the driver and his four passengers.
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However, the Mercedes stopped at a short distance away from the roadblock and the two men jumped out and fled on foot. Officers scouted the area but no further arrests were made. Police were understood to still be searching for the two gang members.
The four suspected debt collectors were understood to be asylum seekers, who police believed were “hired by the triad to help collect the debt”.
According to the force, the five suspects are being detained at Wong Tai Sin police station for questioning and none of them have been charged.
