The headquarters of online retail giant HKTVmall was the target of a red paint attack early Thursday.
At around 6 am, two men hailed a taxi at residential area LOHAS Park to the HKTV Multimedia and Ecommerce Center in Tseung Kwan O. Carrying paint cans, they got out at the vehicle at the headquarters, carried out the attack and got back into the taxi.
The driver was facing away from the scene at the time so he did not see what the men did, but he smelled a pungent paint thinner stench, according to HK01.
The men told the driver to take them to Chi Shin Street. Fearing for his safety, the driver did not speak up and did as instructed. When they arrived, the two men gave the driver a HK$100 (US$12.80) for a ride that was around HK$50 (US$6.40) and told him to keep the change.
Pictures in local media outlets show dried red paint running down the exterior of the office building.
The attack is believed to be in connection with an employee’s unpaid debt. Splashing paint onto the facade of an establishment is commonly associated with gang activity aimed at threatening those who owe large sums of borrowed money.
Police arrived at the scene upon receiving a report from the taxi driver. Shortly after, another red paint incident targeting a HKTVmall supermarket on Chi Shin Street was reported. Police are jointly investigating the two attacks as a criminal damage case.
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