Macau’s Judiciary Police have arrested a couple in connection with the murder of a man at a hotel in Cotai, Macau. The crime was allegedly linked to illegal currency exchange operations.
The suspects were a 40-year-old man from mainland China and a 48-year-old woman from Hong Kong. Both were caught after police found the body of the victim in his hotel room. The hotel room was said to be in Wynn Palace of Cotai.
According to Macau news reports, the Judiciary Police were alerted to the murder scene at the hotel room by the Fire Services Bureau. The victim's body was found in the bathroom.
Two blood-stained knives about 6cm long were recovered from the room. Investigations confirmed that there were indications of the crime scene being tampered with before police arrival and the incident was classified as a homicide.
Further investigations revealed that the victim was involved in illegal currency exchange activities for at least six months, operating out of said hotel room. The victim had recently won around HK$2.5m (US$320,000) while gambling, and had exchanged the casino chips for cash shortly before his murder.
Authorities confiscated HK$1.3m from the male suspect and his Taipa-rented apartment. The female suspect was accused of laundering funds stolen from the murdered victim.
Both suspects will face criminal charges including aggravated murder and robbery plus money laundering.
