Police are investigating two similar blackmail reports that occurred in the Yau Ma Tei-Tsim Sha Tsui area within four months.

On November 15, a 66-year-old man was splashed with black paint in the lift lobby of a building on Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei. He later received a phone call from a man who claimed to be a policeman investigating the case.

He received a call from a third man the next day demanding $2 million, or he or his family would be injured. The victim agreed to pay $300,000 and put the money in a rubbish bin on Mong Kok Road as requested. He informed Police on November 24.

Police later received a similar report. A guesthouse door on Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, was splashed with red paint on February 20. The proprietor, a 73-year-old woman, received a call the next day from a man impersonating a policeman who had taken up the case. She called Police.

Police appeal to the public to beware of similar crimes and for victims to contact investigating officers on 2731 7240 or 2731 7319.