Hong Kong police are searching for a man suspected of using counterfeit banknotes to buy two luxury watches worth HK$4.5 million (US$573,242).
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Two men, aged 30 and 32, allegedly met the suspect, who expressed interest in buying the two high-end watches – Patek Philippe and Richard Mille – that they owned.
The buyer then asked them to complete the transaction at a watch repair shop located in Peninsula Centre on Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The two men, from mainland China, met the suspect at the shop at around 6pm on Monday. He then inspected the watches and handed them a large bag of cash, but claimed the shop’s bill counter was faulty.
The suspect suggested putting the watches in the store’s safe while he went out to get another machine. He then disappeared into a back room and never returned.
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After waiting for half an hour, the two men checked the banknotes and found that although the top layer appeared authentic, the entire inner stack consisted of fake bills.