Hong Kong authorities have arrested six suspects in connection with a high-value robbery that saw approximately ¥51 million taken from two Japanese nationals outside a city centre currency exchange, police said on Saturday.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming told reporters the arrests followed a targeted investigation into the Friday morning incident in Sheung Wan, in which two men visiting from Japan were attacked and one of their backpacks containing millions in Japanese yen was snatched by a two-person team.

Officers subsequently identified and detained six people — three Japanese, two mainland Chinese and one local resident — on suspicion of robbery and related offences, and recovered a portion of the stolen cash during searches and follow-ups.

Investigators said one of those arrested was among the original pair who reported being robbed but had acted as a “mole,” allegedly providing inside information to the suspects that facilitated the theft, a rare development in such cases.

Chow identified the suspects as five men and a woman aged between their early twenties and early fifties, and noted that those believed to have carried out the physical robbery were apprehended at Hong Kong International Airport as they prepared to depart.

Police described the matter as a collaborative effort across units, and highlighted the role of timely intelligence and witness cooperation in preventing further dispersal of the money.

The Japanese victims had arrived in Hong Kong earlier that morning with two backpacks and a suitcase of cash they intended to exchange, according to police statements, and were ambushed shortly after leaving a taxi.

Following the arrests, police said inquiries remain ongoing and that additional charges could be laid as forensic and financial tracing work continues.

The case is the latest in a series of high-value cash thefts affecting Japanese nationals travelling with large sums, prompting both local and foreign authorities to monitor cross-border security risks more closely.