Five people have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a gold trader of more than 70 bars of bullion worth an estimated HK$93 million on the market.

The arrests were made after police received reports at around 2pm on Friday that three persons had entered an office unit on Sung On Street in Hung Hom where a gold transaction was taking place.

The trio claimed the gold trading company's person-in-charge was in debt and, together with the purported buyer, took the 73 bars away.

Company employees tried to stop the four but were unsuccessful, and the perpetrators fled in two cars.

Through surveillance camera footage and intelligence analysis, five suspects were identified and arrested on Friday night in Central and Tai Po.

Officers said all 73 gold bars were recovered and no one was injured in the operation.

"We would like to remind the public that they should not, when conducting transactions involving high-value goods or large sums of cash, casually disclose their whereabouts or transaction details to prevent crimes," said Chief Inspector Alex Yau in a press briefing on Saturday.

"Moreover, if a transaction involves deliveries to different locations, people may consider hiring a reputable security company to handle transportation," he added.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden