A 48 year old man was found dead on a street in Tsim Sha Tsui early Thursday after allegedly collapsing inside a bar toilet, prompting police to arrest a 28 year old member of staff who investigators say moved the body out of the premises.
Police were called at about 1.38am after the bar worker reported finding an unconscious man sitting on a chair at a motorcycle parking area near 18 Hanoi Road. Emergency personnel attended the scene and confirmed that the man had died.
The initial account given to officers soon came under scrutiny. Police inquiries indicated that the worker had not discovered the man where he first claimed. Investigators said he initially told officers that the victim had been found unconscious inside a toilet at a nearby shopping mall and that he had moved him downstairs because he wanted to help.
Police later questioned the worker further. During the inquiry, he allegedly admitted that the man had collapsed inside the toilet of a bar on Carnarvon Road, where he worked.
The worker allegedly told investigators that he was concerned about the consequences for the premises and its business. According to the police investigation, he and an unidentified woman who was a friend of the victim carried the man, together with the chair, out of the bar and onto the street.
The woman subsequently left the area.
The worker then allegedly abandoned the man on the pavement opposite the building before acting as though he had simply come across an unconscious person. He then contacted police.
Officers subsequently arrested the 28 year old man on suspicion of unlawful removal of a body.
Police examine suspected drug use
The circumstances surrounding the man's death remain under investigation.
Police later searched the bar after learning that the victim had reportedly collapsed inside its toilet. Investigators seized an item described as drug paraphernalia, identified as a methamphetamine pipe.
Paramedics did not find obvious needle marks on the man's body, according to the information provided by police. By the time emergency personnel examined him, rigor mortis had already developed.
The presence of suspected drug paraphernalia does not by itself establish how the man died. Police have not ruled out the possibility that he suffered a fatal drug overdose while inside the bar, but the exact cause of death will depend on the results of a postmortem examination.
That distinction is important because investigators must establish not only where the man died but also what happened before his collapse and whether anyone else was involved.
A postmortem examination is expected to provide further information about the cause of death and whether drugs or other substances played a role.
Police are also working to establish how the victim came into contact with any suspected drugs found during the investigation.
Female suspect remains wanted
The unidentified woman who allegedly helped move the victim is also being sought by police.
Investigators from the Yau Tsim District Crime Squad are continuing inquiries into her identity and whereabouts. Officers are expected to examine the relationship between the woman and the victim, her movements before and after the man's collapse and what she knew about his condition.
The investigation could also help determine the sequence of events inside the bar.
According to the account under investigation, the victim collapsed in the toilet before the worker and the woman allegedly carried him outside. Establishing how long the man had been unconscious before he was moved could be significant to investigators examining whether emergency assistance could have been sought earlier.
Police are also tracing the suspected source of the drugs.
The search for the source could involve examining communications, CCTV footage, witnesses and other evidence connected to the premises and people who were there during the night.
Investigators may also review footage from the surrounding streets to establish when the victim was taken outside and when the woman left the area.
Bar's licence due to expire
The incident occurred as the bar's operating licences were due to expire on Friday, adding another point for investigators to examine as they reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the death.
Police have not said that the licence status caused or contributed to the man's death. The relevance of the licence issue is part of the wider circumstances surrounding the premises and its operation.
The investigation is focused on the alleged removal of the body, the circumstances of the death and the suspected drugs.
Hong Kong law places specific obligations and restrictions around the handling of human remains. Moving a body from the location where a person has died can interfere with an investigation by changing the scene and potentially removing evidence about what happened.
In this case, officers were initially given an account that placed the victim in a shopping mall toilet. Police later developed a different account through their inquiries, leading them back to the bar on Carnarvon Road.
Investigation focuses on what happened inside the bar
The central question for investigators is now what happened between the man's arrival at the bar and his discovery outside.
Police will need to establish when the victim entered the premises, whether he consumed alcohol or took any drugs, when he became unconscious and who was with him at the time.
The seizure of the suspected methamphetamine pipe will form part of that investigation, but officers will need additional evidence before determining whether drugs caused or contributed to the death.
The postmortem examination is expected to be particularly important. Toxicology testing may be required to determine whether controlled substances were present in the man's system and, if so, whether they played a role in his death.
Police will also need to establish whether the worker's actions after the man's collapse amounted to an attempt to conceal what had happened inside the premises.
The worker's alleged change in account is likely to be examined alongside physical evidence recovered from the bar and surrounding area.
CCTV footage could prove particularly useful in reconstructing the movement of the victim and the people who allegedly carried him outside. Investigators may also examine the chair involved in the incident and other objects from the bar for evidence.
Police trace evidence and witnesses
The Yau Tsim District Crime Squad is continuing to investigate while searching for the unidentified woman.
Officers are expected to speak with people who were inside or near the bar during the relevant period. Staff members, customers and people working nearby could potentially provide information about the victim's condition before he collapsed.
Investigators will also seek to establish whether anyone saw the victim being carried out of the premises.
The location where the body was found could provide further evidence. The motorcycle parking area near Hanoi Road is separate from the bar where police believe the victim originally collapsed, making the alleged movement of the body a central part of the case.
Police have not announced the identity of the deceased man.
The 28 year old worker remains at the centre of the investigation following his arrest for allegedly removing the body. Any further charges will depend on the evidence gathered by investigators and the findings of the postmortem examination.
For now, police are pursuing three connected lines of inquiry: determining the man's exact cause of death, establishing what happened inside the bar and locating the woman who allegedly helped move him.
What further evidence could the postmortem and CCTV footage reveal about the man's final hours?