Escape passage sealed as police arrest 54 in gambling den raid
Police busted a mob-controlled gambling den that came with a secret escape passageway in Mong Kok on Friday night and arrested 54 people in total.
A 38-year-old man surnamed Tang was arrested for operating a gambling establishment, while three other men aged between 23 and 27 were arrested for assisting in organizing the gambling den. The other 22 men and 28 women, aged 21 to 76, were arrested for gambling in a gambling establishment.
All of the arrestees were handed a fixed penalty ticket for breaching the group gathering ban and remanded in police custody.
It was understood that the gambling den was run by triad society 14K, and most customers were workers at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market.
West Kowloon regional crime squad superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun said the gambling den had been working around the clock for two weeks and described it as “quite arrogant” with the advertising sign “Fruit Market Entertainment” installed.
Chung added the den, located on the third floor of the building, was tightly secured by three doors, including a steel gate.
The arrestees also set up a secret escape passageway that reached out to the back alley on the street. Some attempted to flee the scene during the police’s operation, but they were caught red-handed by officers waiting outside.
During the operation, officers seized about HK$430,000 cash, over HK$1.33 million of gambling chips, 14 TV sets, some gambling paraphernalia, the advertising sign, and five Baccarat tables.