Hong Kong police ‘hunting triad faction leader and followers’ after thugs storm mahjong parlour in apparent retaliation over raid earlier in week
- More than 20 men raid mahjong parlour in Cheung Sha Wan in apparent retaliation over incident earlier in week when 30 thugs stormed Sham Shui Po gaming den
- Source says rival groups linked to Wo Shing Wo triad believed to be involved, as police look for group faction leader known as ‘Fei Kin’ and his followers
Hong Kong police are hunting a triad faction leader and his followers after more than 20 thugs stormed a mahjong parlour in apparent retaliation for a similar incident earlier this week, the Post has learned.
The latest chaotic episode prompted police to extend an ongoing anti-triad crackdown on entertainment premises in the Kowloon West area, a source familiar with the case said on Thursday.
A video posted online shows more than 20 men, mostly wearing caps, marching across Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan before pushing over a booth guarded by two employees outside the mahjong parlour soon after 6pm on Wednesday.
Four members of the group could be seen rushing into the premises, overturning tables and chairs, forcing eight customers to exit the parlour while the other men stood guard outside.
No weapons were used in the incident, which lasted about 26 seconds.
A police spokesman said officers were sent to the scene following a call from a staff member at around 6.50pm on Wednesday. Officers mounted a search, but no arrests were made.
Four mahjong tables and a chair were damaged in the incident, he said.
The faction leader, known as “Fei Kin”, was being sought by police in connection with the Cheung Sha Wan case and was a former leader of the Wo Shing Wo triad, according to another source.
Fei Kin was one of the owners of a mahjong parlour in Sham Shui Po, which was stormed by more than 30 people in a bid to collect a HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) debt on Monday, the insider said. Police arrested eight suspected triad members in connection with the incident.
An investigation revealed that the “Hunan” gang, which also had Wo Shing Wo triad connections, was responsible for the Sham Shui Po incident, the source said.
The Hunan gang was also believed to have been linked with another incident in which more than 10 thugs rushed into a Mong Kok parlour in July in an attempt to collect the debt, according to the source.
Police arrested 11 visitors from mainland China for unlawful assembly in connection with the case.
He said an investigation suggested the Cheung Sha Wan parlour was affiliated with the Hunan gang and the Wednesday attack was an apparent revenge hit by the Wo Shing Wo faction controlled by Fei Kin.
Detectives from the Kowloon West regional anti-triad squad have been tasked with tracking the faction leader and his followers.
The Monday incident prompted police to carry out an anti-triad operation in the Kowloon West area, which was originally scheduled to last three days.
In the first two days of the operation, police arrested 36 people for offences such as criminal damage, operating illegal gambling establishments, running drug dens and trafficking in a dangerous drug.
In response to the Wednesday raid, the force extended the operation until at least the end of this week, the first source said. He added the crackdown mainly targeted Wo Shing Wo triad-controlled entertainments such as pubs, mahjong parlours, drug dens and gambling establishments.
The force said it would not tolerate triad activities and continue to gather intelligence to combat triad-related crimes and their income sources.
Between January and June this year, police handled 912 reports of triad-related crimes, up 7.2 per cent from 851 cases logged in the same period last year.
