Two Jailed Over Staged Jewellery Heist

Two people who staged a fake jewellery heist were on Monday jailed for conspiring to defraud an insurer out of about HK$2.5 million.

The District Court heard that jewellery shop owner Leung Yim-kwan, 41, recruited Tang Ka-kui, 31, to stage the fake robbery in April last year.

After Tang took a suitcase from Leung at Jordan MTR Station, as arranged, she immediately reported the "robbery" to police and made a claim to her insurer, saying the case contained jewellery worth around HK$2.5 million.

The court was told that Tang was promised HK$100,000 for his actions.

In mitigation, the shop owner had told the court that she was in debt, as her business had gone down since the middle of 2019 because of the social environment and the pandemic situation.

But sentencing Leung to three and a half years in prison, Deputy Judge Merinda Chow said Leung had masterminded a detailed scam, including preparing a SIM card and an outfit for her accomplice.

The judge acknowledged that the insurer did not suffer a loss.

While Leung had denied the charge, Tang pleaded guilty and had testified against Leung for the prosecution.

The judge said she gave Tang credit for cooperating after his arrest, but noted his long criminal record. She jailed him for 20 months.