Robbers steal one billion yen in Hong Kong daylight heist
The city has seen a spate of robberies involving exchange shops recently
[HONG KONG] Robbers armed with knives stole one billion yen (US$6.5 million) in a daylight heist in Hong Kong’s financial district on Thursday (Dec 18) morning, marking the latest in a series of high-value crimes targeting the city’s currency exchanges.
The incident occurred at approximately 9 am near Grand Millennium Plaza on Queen’s Road Central in Sheung Wan. A male employee of a money exchange shop reported to authorities that he was accosted on the street by four men wielding knives. The assailants seized the cash and fled west, according to police.
Officers arrived at the scene by 9.06 am and located a seven-seater vehicle suspected to be the getaway car on Jervois Street, roughly 450 metres from where the robbery took place. Following a preliminary investigation, police arrested one male suspect, who was taken to the Central Police Station for questioning.
The robbery took place in a dense commercial hub populated by numerous money changers, coinciding with the start of business hours.
As a global financial centre with no foreign-exchange controls, Hong Kong maintains a vibrant market for street-level currency exchange, driven by demand from tourism, consumption, and investment. These shops often offer more competitive rates than banks and feature simpler transaction processes with fewer limits.
The city has seen a spate of robberies involving exchange shops recently, with criminals often targeting large sums of cash or valuables.
On Dec 13, the owner of a cryptocurrency exchange in Mong Kok was injured after refusing to hand over assets to knife-wielding robbers during an attempted heist at the President Commercial Centre.
In July, police arrested three teenagers, aged 13 to 15, who used hammers to smash the counter of a shop in Kwai Chung in a failed robbery attempt.
In April 2024, a man used an air gun to rob a shop in Kwun Tong, stealing roughly HK$180,000 (S$29,868.41). The suspect, who was arrested 36 hours later, told authorities he committed the crime to cover gambling debts incurred in Macau. CAIXIN GLOBAL
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