Two men questioned in alleged poison dart plot
Hong Kong: In a plot that could have come straight out of a Dick Francis novel, two men were questioned on Friday by police in Hong Kong in connection with an alleged conspiracy to rig races by shooting poison darts at horses.
The men were reportedly arrested on Thursday evening, apprehended by security guards who claimed they were acting suspiciously near the starting stalls on a public jogging track that goes around the city-centre Happy Valley racecourse.
According to sify.com, the government-run radio station RTHK quoteda police source suggesting the pair were questioned over a suspected plot to affect the outcome of races by shooting darts at horses from remote-controlled devices hidden in the grass next to the track.
This is not the first time HongKong racing has faced a similar plot. In March 2007, a firing contraption attached to a series of tubes dug into the ground was found near the Happy Valley starting line.
Although no one was arrested, police said at the time that they believed a poison-dart plot had been foiled.
The two suspects arrested on Thursday evening were reportedly carrying torches and gloves.
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