Two Hong Kong university students among 128 arrested in crackdown on marriage scam syndicate
One of three ringleaders is jailed for racket in which young people were offered cash to marry mainland Chinese residents keen to live or work in city
Two Hong Kong university students were among scores of people arrested in a crackdown on a bogus marriage syndicate that helped mainland Chinese gain residency or take up employment in the city.
The Immigration Department described the enforcement action as one of the city’s biggest in recent years and said three core members of the racket were among the 128 people caught.
One of them – a 58-year-old chef originally from Hainan province – was sentenced to 21 months in jail in the District Court on Friday for conspiracy to defraud.
Stephen Lau Wing-kei, chief immigration officer from the special investigation unit, said the three masterminds came to Hong Kong legally from Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian province a decade ago.
Young Hongkongers – 80 per cent were aged 20 to 25 – were lured into marrying on the mainland via social media and messenger apps with promises of HK$100,000. But they received only HK$5,000 to HK$20,000.