In early September, Ling, 36, along with 14 colleagues from the Market Renovation Team of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong, pooled money to buy Mark Six lottery tickets.
Each individual selected a number and contributed varying amounts. Ling then used his personal account to purchase two tickets. One of these tickets was a "3 banker with 11 drawn numbers" (chon ba so co dinh lam "dam", ghep voi 11 so "keo") type, which generated 165 combinations. At HKD 5 per combination, this specific ticket cost HKD 825.
The draw on 5/9 saw 3.5 first-prize shares, each valued at HKD 63.38 million. The group of 15 collectively won 0.5 shares, amounting to approximately HKD 31.68 million. Including prizes from the second, third, and minor categories, the group's total winnings reached around HKD 33 million (approximately USD 4.23 million).
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People at the second Mark Six lottery draw, commemorating its 50th anniversary with a total prize value of HKD 228 million. Photo: HK01
However, after the prize money was transferred to Ling's personal account, he asserted that he deserved the largest share for establishing the number combinations. He demanded to keep HKD 10 million, intending to divide only the remaining amount among the group. Ling stated he had placed the entire sum into a fixed deposit and refused to distribute it equally as initially agreed.
On the evening of 9/9, representatives from both sides met in the Wong Chuk Hang area for negotiations, but no agreement was reached. Following the meeting, Ling repeatedly requested leave and ceased all communication. His colleagues subsequently reported the incident to the Aberdeen police station.
Local media reported that as news of the lottery win spread, some former members who had left the group earlier also returned to claim a share of the money.
On 11/9, Hong Kong police arrested Ling on theft charges. Police Chief Chow Yat-ming announced on 12/9 that all funds in the suspect's bank account had been frozen. The Western District Criminal Support Team is continuing to investigate the case. Ling has been released on bail and is scheduled to report to the police in mid-October.
