Man arrested in Hong Kong after visiting 9 medical clinics in 5 days to obtain free Covid-19 antiviral drugs by allegedly pretending to have virus
- Suspect, 60, arrested in Sham Shui Po for alleged fraud
- Police say arrest is connected with earlier case, in which a 63-year-old man was detained in Tseung Kwan O
Police on Saturday said the 60-year-old man, surnamed Lam, was arrested in Sham Shui Po on Friday morning for alleged fraud, after officers discovered he had visited nine different private clinics over five days for Covid-19 drugs.
A police spokesman said the investigation was continuing and more arrests were possible.
The force said the arrest was connected with an earlier one last month, when a 63-year-old man was detained in Tseung Kwan O.
On February 27, the first suspect, surnamed Chan, was found to have visited nine private clinics within two days, also obtaining nine courses of Covid-19 oral antivirals. Chan was detained for further investigation.
Police did not reveal why the pair sought so many Covid-19 drugs.
The Department of Health last month warned residents not to obtain Covid-19 oral drugs by improper means or to resell them. It said the government had been monitoring the usage of Covid-19 oral drugs, including prescription records from both public and private doctors.
