Mooncake season has its first casualty.
An arrest has been made in the wake of a Wednesday robbery in Sheung Shui that left a man injured and out HKD1.1 million (about $140,000) intended to purchase mooncake coupons for resale in mainland China.
The robbery happened at about 8am on Lung Wan Street outside the Metropolis Plaza when the 34-year-old victim, surnamed Chan, was attacked by two masked men using metal rods. They snatched the bag with the cash and fled, leaving Chan bleeding from serious head injuries. He was later taken to hospital, according to Oriental Daily.
It is understood that Chan was together with three friends. The incident happened while Chan was smoking on the street while his friends were having breakfast at a nearby restaurant. A police source told SCMP that men were allegedly lured to the location to buy discounted mooncake coupons. All four of them were believed to have carried a large sum of money.
The arrest came later that same evening as a 26-year-old man, accompanied by his attorney, reported to the Sheung Shui Police Station, claiming to be the mooncake coupon seller with whom Chan was supposed to meet. It was not immediately clear if charges had been pressed.
People have begun snapping up mooncakes as this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival is on October 4. It was reported that Chan and his friends were planning to buy at least 2,000 discounted mooncake coupons for Hong Kong MX bakery’s latest Lava Custard Mooncake to resell on the mainland, where prices can be considerably higher.
Shops on the mainland are reportedly selling boxes of the popular traditional treat for as much as HKD150 more than those in Hong Kong, according to Apple Daily.
