Seven arrested over HK$7m gold bar robbery at airport

Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of crimes including conspiracy to rob a man of six gold bars worth about HK$7 million at the airport. The arrests were made after police received a report in the early hours of Thursday from the victim, who had been tasked with lugging the ingots from Indonesia by a mainland businessman. The 36-year-old said he was robbed by three masked assailants armed with knives at the airport's car park 3. They are alleged to have wrested away his backpack, which he was using to haul the six gold bars of one kilogram each, before fleeing in a seven-seater. The man suffered injuries to the back of his thighs and left forearm, and was sent to Princess Margaret Hospital. He is in stable condition. The police said four men and three women, aged 20 to 39, were arrested within 12 hours upon the lodging of the report, with officers carrying out intelligence analysis as well as reviewing surveillance camera footage. Officers said some of those arrested were suspected to be have triad backgrounds. The vehicle used in the robbery was found in Tsuen Wan, along with weapons suspected to have been used in the robbery. Senior superintendent Iu Wing-kan said investigations are ongoing and that some suspects are believed to have absconded to the mainland. However, he said, the force has already identified the suspects and will reach out to mainland enforcement agencies for assistance. Iu said the incident was not a random case. "Our investigation gives us reason to believe that the criminals had obtained information about the victim's flight, itinerary, parking spot, and so on," Iu said. "There is clearly an insider involved in this case ... and we believe this person is someone the victim is familiar with." Edited by Azam Khan