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A man who pooled money with colleagues to buy a lottery ticket, then took sudden leave and disappeared after claiming a larger share of the jackpot for himself, has been arrested by police.
According to Hong Kong media outlet HK01 and others, 15 employees of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) Market Revitalization Team pooled their money to purchase a Mark Six lottery ticket.
The group won first prize in a snowball draw on Sept. 5, entitling them to more than HK$30 million ($3.86 million) in winnings.
Trouble arose when it came time to divide the prize. Ling, a 36-year-old health inspector who had been responsible for purchasing the ticket, refused to split the winnings equally, insisting he deserved a larger cut.
He demanded HK$10 million ($1.29 million) for himself, with the remaining amount to be divided among the other 14 colleagues. He also claimed to have deposited the entire prize in a fixed-term bank account.
The colleagues continued negotiations over the winnings, but the dispute remained unresolved. Ling then took a series of leaves and went into hiding, prompting his coworkers — fearing he would abscond with the full amount — to report the matter to police.
Ling was arrested on suspicion of theft on Friday and released on bail the following morning. He is scheduled to report back to police in mid-October.
The FEHD said it was aware of the investigation and would cooperate with police if necessary, but declined to comment on the specifics.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
