Love triangle believed to be behind fatal attack on Hong Kong gambling den operator

Ching said the pair were detained on suspicion of killing the 33-year-old man, who allegedly worked as the operator of a gambling den on Pilkem Street in Yau Ma Tei.

He said the other three suspects, aged 34 to 56, were apprehended for aiding and abetting an offender.

“We reasonably believe these three arrestees were aware of the [murder suspect] who had committed the crime and assisted him in evading police arrest,” he said.

He said further arrests were not ruled out as the investigation was still under way.

The alleged attacker and the victim had a history of disputes as the former thought the latter was dating his girlfriend, according to police.

At around 2.20am on Sunday, the man and his girlfriend went to the gambling den to look for the 33-year-old victim. The trio left the premises afterwards.

“Initial investigations revealed that [the murder suspect] suddenly used a hammer to strike the victim’s rear head over 10 times [outside the building],” the superintendent said.

Ching said the alleged attacker and the woman left the scene after the attack and the weapon was dumped in a rubbish bin.

After the attack, the victim was still conscious and returned to the gambling den, he said.

At around 6am on the same day, he complained of feeling unwell and passed out after his friends carried him downstairs.

The victim was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7.20am.

“An initial examination revealed that the victim had two lacerations on the back of his head, each measuring around 2cm and 4cm in length,” Ching said, adding that an autopsy would be carried out to ascertain the cause of the death.

He said a preliminary investigation suggested a personal dispute between the attacker and the victim sparked the killing.

He said there was no evidence to suggest that the attack was linked to triad activities and illegal gambling business.

The Post learned that the victim was a suspected 14K triad member while the attacker was an alleged member of Wo Shing Wo triad society.

After an extensive investigation, officers arrested the 32-year-old woman in Yau Ma Tei at around 12.50pm on Sunday.

The murder suspect and the other three suspects were apprehended in Ho Man Tin about nine hours later.

Officers raided the gambling den and seized paraphernalia related to illegal drugs such as crystal meth.

A source familiar with the case said police were investigating whether the murder suspect had taken illegal drugs before the attack.

As of Monday morning, all five suspects were being held for questioning.

Detectives from the Yau Tsim district crime squad are following up on the case.

The city recorded eight reports of homicide in the first five months of this year, a drop of three cases when compared with 11 cases logged in the same period in 2023.

A 66-year-old businessman and his 57-year-old wife died last Wednesday after he allegedly set fire to their flat in the Mid-Levels over suspected marital issues in what police said was a murder-suicide.