Hong Kong police on hunt for man who used fake bills in Patek Philippe, Richard Mille deal
Owners of Patek Philippe and Richard Mille timepieces discover they were given counterfeit banknotes about 30 minutes after suspect flees
Hong Kong police are searching for a man suspected of using counterfeit banknotes to buy a pair of luxury watches from two others worth HK$4.5 million (US$573,242).
The watch owners, aged 30 and 32, who wanted to sell their high-end Patek Philippe and Richard Mille timepieces, agreed to meet the suspect at a watch repair shop located in Peninsula Centre on Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The two from mainland China met the suspect at the shop at around 6pm on Monday. He inspected the watches and handed them a large bag of cash, but claimed the shop’s bill counter was faulty.
The suspect suggested putting the watches in the store’s safe while he went out to get another machine. He then disappeared into a back room and never returned.
After waiting for half an hour, the two men checked the banknotes. They found that although the top layer appeared authentic, the entire inner stack consisted of fake bills.
Officers discovered that the store’s safe had a concealed rear door. The door led to a back room, which was connected to a neighbouring shop.