Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Photo: Google Maps
Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Photo: Google Maps

Hong Kong police arrested 16 people on Saturday night who were allegedly betting on cricket in an illegal gambling den in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui.

At 10pm, acting on a tip-off, police officers raided a shop in Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road and arrested 16 men aged between 23 and 47 – 11 Indians, four Pakistanis and one Bangladeshi – who were all watching a cricket match in the shop, the Oriental Daily reported.

One of the suspects arrested on suspicion of operating a gambling den was a 31-year-old Indian holding an Hong Kong identity card. The rest of the suspects, all asylum seekers, were arrested for allegedly gambling.

Officers confiscated about HK$12,000 (US$1,528), 400 Chinese yuan (US$63), a television set, three mobile phones and a book containing betting records, news website HK01.com reported.

The 16 were detained at a police station while investigations continued.