2008-07-08 16:47 Two Mainland women and a Mainland man were today (July 8) jailed for terms of between 36 and 42 months after being convicted in the District Court on charges relating to counterfeit bank notes. The case prompted warnings from the Police that passing or custody of counterfeit banknotes was a serious offence and offenders were liable to heavy penalties. The court heard that on July 2, the 25-year-old woman, Fang Fenlan, the 28-year-old woman, Fang Fenxia, and the 35-year-old man, Lin Caiwu, shopped at pharmacies and convenience stores in Tsz Wan Shan and Diamond Hill with $100 RMB banknotes. A convenience store staff member suspected the banknotes were counterfeit and a report was made. Officers of Police Commercial Crime Bureau arrested the three and seized 14 counterfeit $100 RMB banknotes. Investigations revealed that the trio had also purchased some goods at several shops in North Point with counterfeit $100 RMB banknotes in June. Twenty-eight counterfeit $100 RMB banknotes were later seized from those shops. The defendants were subsequently charged with one count of conspiracy to pass counterfeit notes while the 35-year-old man was also charged with one count of custody of counterfeit notes. Police in Hong Kong have been actively taking action to combat counterfeit banknotes. |