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Huge police hunt after kidnappers flee with HK$28m in ransom cash
Roadblocks at harbour tunnels as police hunt gang after release of young woman
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 29 April, 2015, 1:08am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 29 April, 2015, 3:32am
Danny Mok and Clifford Lo
Police check cars at the Eastern Harbour Tunnel. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Police launched a citywide hunt last night for a gang of kidnappers who fled with a HK$28 million ransom payment after releasing their female victim.
A police source said the woman, aged about 30, was abducted when five or six mainlanders broke into a house in Sai Kung on Saturday. They also escaped with HK$2 million to HK$3 million in cash and valuables.
The gang initially demanded HK$40 million to HK$50 million for the woman's release but this was later reduced to HK$28 million and the money was handed over earlier last night.
Officers are looking for five or six suspects after the unidentified victim was found unharmed following her terrifying ordeal, the police source said.
An initial investigation showed that the gang had escaped in a white car, the source said. But no further details were available last night.
Officers began setting up roadblocks from about 8pm in scores of locations across the city, including the entrances to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, and in Kowloon Bay, Lam Tin, Lion Road Tunnel Road, and Tai Po Road near Kam Shan Country Park.
To stop the gang fleeing across the border, roadblocks were set up in Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Sheung Shui.
There were long tailbacks in Yuen Long and Tai Po Road as police officers, some of them in bullet proof vests and helmets, flagged down vehicles and questioned drivers.
Officers were also conducting investigations outside houses in Fei Ngo Shan Road in Wong Tai Sin last night. It was not known whether this area played any part in the hostage drama.
Hundreds of Hong Kong police descend on Ma On Shan Park where kidnappers thought to be hiding out
Hundreds of heavily armed officers seal off suspected Ma On Shan hideout of six who fled with HK$28m ransom after abducting woman
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 30 April, 2015, 2:12am
UPDATED : Thursday, 30 April, 2015, 10:06am
Police search for the six mainlanders at Fei Ngo Shan. Photo: Felix Wong
A massive manhunt that began on Tuesday night led hundreds of heavily armed police officers to Ma On Shan Country Park yesterday, where six men were suspected to be hiding out after releasing a woman they had kidnapped and fleeing with HK$28 million in ransom money.
It is understood that the victim is the granddaughter of late Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, and officers were seen visiting the family's house in Sai Kung.
Around 300 officers threw a dragnet around the 2,880-hectare country park, sealing off all exits and scouring the hillsides as a government helicopter provided aerial support.
The as-yet unidentified suspects are still at large. Photo: SCMP Pictures
They sent in 170 members of the crack Police Tactical Unit, along with officers from rural patrol teams and detectives to locate the suspects.
"Arresting them is just a matter of time," a police source said, adding that they had identified members of the Putonghua-speaking gang. "We believe they are from the mainland."
The fast-moving chain of events began on Saturday when the gang broke into the luxury home of the 29-year-old victim, a Hong Kong woman, on Clear Water Bay Road, Sai Kung. They abducted the woman and escaped with more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables.
Police found luggage bags use for carrying money during the search at Fei Ngo Shan. Photo: Felix Wong
"The gang initially demanded HK$40 million to HK$50 million from her family. After negotiations, the amount was lowered to HK$28 million," another police source revealed. "Shortly after making the payment, the victim was released nearby. She was found safe and unhurt."
The kidnappers collected the ransom money from the woman's father at a Fei Ngo Shan hillside, then fled the scene in a white Honda seven-seater with the licence plate HL 6473 - which turned out to be fake.
After rescuing the victim, officers from the surveillance and intelligence teams swung into action and gave chase, but lost the gang near the hilltop of Fei Ngo Shan, or Kowloon Peak. Sources said they appeared to have set up a hideout in the country park.
Police scour the woods for suspects. Photo: Felix wong
Yesterday, police issued photos of two of the suspects, and descriptions of four of them, as they appealed for information from the public. All are believed to be Chinese men. In the afternoon, officers seized two empty suitcases, believed to have been used to carry the ransom money, at a hillside near Pak Fa Lam.
The Tuesday night operation, which saw officers set up observation posts and roadblocks in more than 40 locations across the Kowloon East area, was wrapped up at daybreak yesterday.
In a land, air and sea operation, 10 Marine Police boats were dispatched to patrol the coast off Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong overnight. Roadblocks were also set up in the New Territories.
Police check cars at the Eastern Harbour Tunnel. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Sources said officers at the border checkpoints were also keeping a lookout for the suspects. No arrests had been made late last night.
This is the biggest kidnap case Hong Kong has seen in years, coming just before police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung takes up pre-retirement leave next Tuesday. A farewell guard of honour will be held at police headquarters today and will be followed by deputy commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung taking over as the head of the force.
I was scared but physically and emotionally unharmed, insists Hong Kong kidnap victim
Bossini heiress Queenie Rosita Law thanks parents for their efforts; police vow to catch gang members if they start spending marked notes
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 30 April, 2015, 7:37pm
UPDATED : Friday, 01 May, 2015, 3:11am
Stuart Lau and Clifford Lo
A subdued Law arrives at the press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central. Photo: David Wong
Looking solemn, an heiress to the Bossini clothing empire said yesterday she was scared, but physically and emotionally unharmed after a kidnapping ordeal that saw six men escape with HK$28 million in ransom money, as police vowed they would be caught when they started spending the marked bills.
Queenie Rosita Law, granddaughter of late Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, held a brief press conference last night, her first public appearance since being released by her kidnappers on Tuesday night.
Taking to the stage alone in front of a barrage of camera flash bulbs in a ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Central, the 29-year-old was grim-faced but calm throughout the threeminute session.
Law pauses before making her statement. Photo: David Wong
However, she only spoke for just over a minute and left without taking any questions from journalists.
"I want to make use of this press conference to tell everyone that neither my spirit nor my body suffered or sustained any injury because of the kidnap," she said.
"I hope the media will understand that as the police are still investigating the case, there's not much detail I can disclose. I plead for your understanding. I hope friends from the media will give me some room as I was greatly scared by the kidnapping."
She also thanked her parents for their "exhaustive running around".
The kidnap victim is the youngest daughter of the sixth and youngest son of the late Bossini founder. She works in a production house.
She was abducted on Saturday when the gang broke into her luxury home on Clear Water Bay Road, Sai Kung, and escaped with more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables.
The kidnappers abandoned her on a hillside in Fei Ngo Shan, part of Ma On Shan Country Park, after collecting HK$28 million in ransom from her father, Raymond Law Ka-kui.
Law said she wanted to tell her friends and relatives that she was safe and well. Photo: David Wong
Hundreds of police officers continued their manhunt for the six kidnappers, all believed to be mainland Chinese, in Tai Po last night. They had stayed in an abandoned hut used as their hideout on a hillside near Chek Nai Ping in Tai Po, according to a police source.
"But they had left before we moved in," said the source, who would not reveal whether police were led there by signals from tracking devices hidden in 28 bags carrying the ransom money that was handed over to the Putonghua-speaking gang.
"We also recorded the serial numbers of some banknotes used as ransom for the release of the victim," he said. "They will be caught if they use the marked money."
Police believe the six men were members of a professional burglary gang who were familiar with the area around Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak.
"We think it was a burglary case originally. The gang found the woman in the house and they also abducted her," the source said.
The massive manhunt that began on Tuesday night has so far been fruitless.
The tenant in the luxury home was alerted by a security alarm, and discovered a window had been prised open. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A HK$195 million house in Fei Ngo Shan, near where kidnappers collected a HK$28 million ransom for the release of the Bossini founder's granddaughter, was targeted in a pre-dawn burglary attempt yesterday.
The intrusion happened at about 3.30am as hundreds of police officers continued their manhunt in Tai Po for six kidnappers who escaped a police dragnet in Fei Ngo Shan after collecting the ransom money.
The house, which was bought by Smart Force Enterprise for HK$195 million in April last year, was also targeted in a burglary three years ago.
A police source said it was possible that yesterday's attempt was carried out by mainlanders who had just arrived in the city and were unaware of the kidnapping case.
"I don't think Hong Kong burglars will take the risk of being arrested and target this area [Fei Ngo Shan]," the source said.
Intruders targeted the home at 3.30am. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Police received a report of the attempted break-in from a middle-aged businessman - a Hong Kong identity card holder - who lives with his wife in the three-storey house.
"He told police that he woke up as the security alarm went off. He went to the ground-floor living room to check and found one of the windows had been prised open," a police spokeswoman said. But he found no one there.
Police mounted a search with a tracker dog but made no arrest. They said nothing was stolen.
The businessman, his wife and two domestic helpers were inside the house at the time of the incident.
Detectives from Kwun Tong police district are investigating.
The last time the house was broken into, in June 2012, a barking dog woke up a domestic helper and the burglars fled before police arrived.
The latest case happened 24 hours after a burglary at the official residence of Australia's consul general in Hong Kong, Paul Tighe, in Deep Water Bay. Jewellery and several thousand dollars in cash were stolen. No one has been arrested.
Also in Deep Water Bay, a 19-year-old mainland man was arrested on April 3 for allegedly trying to break into the residence of Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing. The suspect was charged with attempted burglary and illegally entering and staying in the city.
Three days later, on April 6, there was a break-in attempt at the three-storey home of Indian consul general Prashant Agrawal in Black's Link, Happy Valley.
The series of high-profile burglaries has prompted police to strengthen patrols.
Hong Kong police say Bossini heiress kidnap was meticulously planned, not opportunistic grab for cash
Sources point to meticulous planning, including the use of a secluded cave to hide Bossini heiress
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 02 May, 2015, 1:57am
UPDATED : Saturday, 02 May, 2015, 1:57am
Police continue to search the Fei Ngo Shan area. Photo: Felix Wong
The multimillion-dollar kidnap-for-ransom of fashion chain heiress Queenie Rosita Law was a meticulously planned crime and not - as first believed - the work of an opportunistic burglary gang, according to police.
As a city-wide hunt for the six-strong gang - who got away with HK$28 million - extended into the mainland yesterday, new details emerged of how the audacious abduction was executed. Police sources say the new information points to a well-organised plot, not a hastily arranged bid to hit the criminal jackpot.
Sources close to the investigation into the kidnap of Bossini heiress Law, 29, say detectives believe the fact that the gang held her in a secluded cave and used a complex series of escape routes to evade arrest pours cold water on the original assessment that the crime morphed out of a simple burglary.
Detectives say six Putonghua-speaking men entered Law's residence in Kam Shue Road, Sai Kung shortly after 3am last Saturday, according to the source.
"They tied the victim up and carried her into a getaway car parked nearby before driving into Fei Ngo Shan. Then they hid her in a cave and called her father a few hours later to make the ransom demand. It appears that everything was well-organised. We believe it was a pre-planned kidnap," said one police source.
The gang also took more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables from her house. It is understood her parents were also at home at the time of the incident.
The source said that in a normal burglary, one or two people would enter the targeted house while the rest would act as guards and lookouts outside.
Despite a massive air, sea and land search involving 300 police officers, the gang remains at large with the ransom money, as the hunt enters a fourth day.
The source said police also hid tracking devices in some bags carrying the ransom money but to no avail so far. On Wednesday, police found two empty suitcases which they believe were used to carry the ransom money on a hillside in Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak.
He said so far, police had not located the cave where the kidnap victim was hidden. It is understood that Law was provided with food and drink during her three-day ordeal.
Another source said officers had sought help from their Guangdong counterparts.
"We have asked the mainland border patrol police help to intercept the gang if they try to flee into Shenzhen by sea," the source said. "Officers are also laying ambushes at smuggling black spots across the city."
He said officers at control points were also keeping a lookout for the suspects.
Loi Tung, the rural village in Sha Tau Kok where police massed overnight, and near which they continue to sweep the hills. Photos: David Wong
After police officers stormed into Loi Tung Village in Sha Tau Kok on Sunday night – part of their ongoing manhunt for the suspects in the kidnappingt of Queenie Law – residents said the surrounding area was too vast and deserted for them have a high chance of success if the fugitives were hiding out there.
The village, surrounded by woods, farmland and abandoned construction and industrual sites, is one of around 40 around Sha Tau Kok, in the city’s northeast.
The police have focused their huge manhunt on this area as one of the suspects was apprehended at the Lo Wu border checkpoint around 10.30pm on Sunday night. But they did not say why they were focusing their search there.
Few people were seen in the village during the day on Monday as police combed the surrounding hills. Some residential buildings were still under construction and surrounded with bamboo scaffolding.
“If the suspect is hiding in the hills, there is no way you can find him, “said one 85-year-old women who has lived in the village for 60 years.
She said police officers swarmed the village on Sunday around 11pm. Her family of six was woken up by barking dogs and opened their door to find a crowd of officers carrying torches.
She said the officers did not enter their house but told them to lock their doors.
Residents know everyone in the neighbourhood and strangers seldom enter the village, she said.
Another 70-year-old woman who runs a grocery store said many villagers kept large dogs around to scare away strangers.
Chan Ming, a 35-year-old construction worker, said that in addition to construction sites, the village was surrounded by junk heaps, abandoned metal houses and old vehicles, which would offer a fugitive many places to hide.
“There is no way to find someone here, just too many hiding places for him! It will not be difficult for them to survive here for months without being found,” Chan said.
He said he would be more careful and avoid traveling alone as he was afraid that the suspects at large might be armed.
The police have set up at least two roadblocks on Sha Tau Kok Road to intercept suspicious cars and trucks carrying construction materials. Helicopters were also seen circulating over the area.
Bossini heiress kidnap suspect arrested at Hong Kong border as remaining fugitives ‘smuggled back to mainland’
Several others involved in HK$28m ransom and abduction of fashion chain heiress thought to have been smuggled across to the mainland
PUBLISHED : Monday, 04 May, 2015, 11:41am
UPDATED : Monday, 04 May, 2015, 11:44pm
Samuel Chan and Clifford Lo
The unnamed man (right) was taken to Tsz Wan Shan police station yesterday.Photo: Sam Tsang
Several of the six kidnappers responsible for the multimillion-dollar ransom and abduction of Hong Kong's Bossini fashion chain heiress, Queenie Rosita Law, have been smuggled back to the mainland, the Post has learned.
The revelation surfaced after one of the fugitives was intercepted at the Lo Wu border checkpoint when he tried to leave for Shenzhen at about 10.30pm on Sunday, only to be arrested.
Last night, the five other suspects - believed to be from the mainland - remained at large and in possession of the HK$28 million paid in ransom for the return of Law last Tuesday night, despite police mounting a huge search operation in Sha Tau Kok, near the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
It is understood that some of them had left for Shenzhen through illegal channels and that the rest were hiding out in Hong Kong.
The suspect arrested on Sunday. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The arrest of one of the suspects was announced yesterday by new police chief Stephen Lo Wai-chung, as police investigations revealed that the cave where Law, 29, was held for three days was dug by the kidnappers at Fei Ngo Shan, at the southern end of Ma On Shan Country Park.
"Investigations showed one of the kidnappers received a call from his accomplice to confirm they had received the ransom, and then he carried the victim downhill and released her," one police source said.
He added that the victim was blindfolded and tied up at the time. Police had not located the cave as of last night.
The 29-year-old man arrested on Sunday night holds a two-way permit, the travel document mainlanders use to visit Hong Kong. He is understood to have come from Guizhou province.
He is one of two suspects who have been identified by police. Photos of the two men were released last Wednesday as police made a public appeal for help to locate them.
The arrested man tried to leave Hong Kong through an official channel and took the risk of being apprehended.
"He did not disguise himself or carry a bogus travel document when he was intercepted by immigration officers," another police source said.
Lo, who yesterday replaced Andy Tsang Wai-hung as police commissioner, said: "Police will spare no efforts to look for the other kidnappers."
He said police would work closely with mainland authorities to find those still at large.
At about 3pm yesterday, the arrested suspect was escorted hooded and handcuffed by police to the headquarters of the Kowloon East regional crime unit in Tsz Wan Shan.
Last night, he was being held for questioning and had not been charged.
It is the first arrest made since police launched a citywide manhunt for the six Putonghua-speaking men who broke into Law's home in Sai Kung and abducted her on April 25. The gang also stole more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables from her house.
Law, the granddaughter of late Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, was hidden in the secluded cave at Fei Ngo Shan while the kidnappers called her father and demanded more than HK$40 million as payment for her release. After negotiations, the amount was lowered to HK$28 million. She was released last Tuesday night after the ransom was paid.
A 30-year-old housewife living in Loi Tung Village in Sha Tau Kok, where police have been searching for the suspects, said she had noticed strangers speaking Putonghua in her neighbourhood in recent months but had not been sure if they were construction workers or illegal immigrants.
Guangdong police arrest five suspects over kidnap of Hong Kong fashion heiress Queenie Law
Another alleged gang member caught at border will appear in court today as hunt continues for two more men and HK$28 million ransom cash
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 05 May, 2015, 4:22pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 05 May, 2015, 11:12pm
Clifford Lo and He Huifeng
Detectives take a suspect out for a reconstruction related to the Queenie Rosita Law kidnap case. Photo: Felix Wong
Five men suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of Bossini clothing chain heiress Queenie Rosita Law - two of them thought to be core members of the gang who snatched her - have been arrested in Guangdong as efforts continue to recover the HK$28 million ransom paid for her release.
The arrests - in various locations across Guangdong - came as Hong Kong police last night charged a 29-year-old mainland man surnamed Zheng in connection with the case, which has rocked the city and provoked security jitters among the rich and famous.
Zheng was arrested on Sunday night as he tried to leave Hong Kong for Shenzhen at the Lo Wu immigration checkpoint. He is expected to appear in Kwun Tong Court today on a charge of conspiring to forcibly take or detain a person with intent to sell him or her.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and mainland police continue their hunt for two key members of the gang who managed to evade a huge police dragnet and flee the city. It is unclear whether the kidnappers still at large are in possession of the HK$28 million paid for the release of Law last Tuesday night.
The arrested suspects - all mainland men - were detained by police in Guangdong after Hong Kong police sought their help in tracking down the six kidnappers who broke into Law's house in Sai Kung and abducted her on April 25.
One of the suspects arrested in Shenzhen. Photo: SCMP Pictures
"We picked up the last two in Shenzhen on Monday morning. The others were arrested in other parts of Guangdong, including Dongguan," a source close to Shenzhen police said yesterday.
The source said two of the men were picked up when police raided a hostel in Shenzhen on Monday.
"At about 6.30am yesterday, I saw a police car arriving at the hotel. Two or three plainclothes officers stormed inside while two officers in uniforms guarded in front of the hotel," one witness who works near the hostel, said.
"At about 7am, two men were taken away by policemen."
Yesterday the owner of the hostel refused to comment, saying: "I fear possible retaliation."
The two were captured about eight hours after Hong Kong police arrested Zheng when he tried to cross into Shenzhen at about 10.30pm on Sunday. The man from Guizhou province is the only suspect to be caught in Hong Kong. No ransom money was found on him
Yesterday the 29-year-old was escorted by police to Choi Hung and Sai Kung to reconstruct the crime.
Six Putonghua-speaking men broke into Law's house in Sai Kung on April 25. The gang abducted Law and also stole more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables.
The kidnappers held Law in a secluded cave in Fei Ngo Shan before they called her father and demanded more than HK$40 million for her release. That amount was later reduced to HK$28 million.
Law, the granddaughter of Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, was released after the ransom money was paid. Police then launched a massive manhunt across the city.
Gang who kidnapped Bossini heiress may have buried cash in border area
Police say suspects could be hiding in woods in Sha Tau Kok border area
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 06 May, 2015, 11:37pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 07 May, 2015, 5:01am
Clifford Lo and Samuel Chan in Guizhou
Zheng Xingwang, who was arrested when he tried to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, leaves Kwun Tong Court yesterday. Photo: Sam Tsang
The hunt for gang members accused of kidnapping Bossini heiress Queenie Rosita Law last night zeroed in on woodland in Hong Kong's Sha Tau Kok border area as police work on a theory that the gang buried the HK$28 million ransom cash in the city as they made their escape.
The South China Morning Post has also confirmed that all six core members of the gang - at least two of whom are the focus of the border area search - came from Guizhou province in the southwest of the mainland and entered Hong Kong using valid travel documents.
The developments came a day after six men were arrested in Guangdong and follow the appearance in court yesterday of a seventh suspect detained by Hong Kong police on Sunday.
It is unclear how many of those arrested by the mainland authorities are suspected of being part of the core gang who snatched 29-year-old heiress Law from her Sai Kung home on April 25 before releasing her unharmed three days later.
A source with knowledge of the investigation said: "It is possible at least two of them are hiding out in woods in the Sha Tau Kok border area and looking for an opportunity to flee Hong Kong through illegal channels. We don't rule out the possibility that they buried the ransom money somewhere in Hong Kong before splitting."
Police are now focusing their search on the Sha Tau Kok border area and monitoring smuggling black spots across the city.
Information passed to the Hong Kong police by their mainland counterparts has convinced detectives here that at least two of the gang accused of entering the Law residence 11 days ago are still in the city.
Locals in Guizhou's Wengan county, where the accused gang members came from, said the formerly crime-ridden area had been cleaned up after a change of county party leadership in 2008, and many gangsters who operated there had moved.
"Armed robbery and shooting on the street used to be commonplace here before 2008, and the police would usually hide themselves before the thieves left," said one taxi driver there.
On April 25, six Putonghua-speaking men broke into Law's house, abducted her and also stole more than HK$2 million in cash and valuables.
The kidnappers are suspected of holding Law - granddaughter of Bossini founder Law Ting-pong - in a secluded cave before calling her father and demanding more than HK$40 million for her release. That was later reduced to HK$28 million. Police have not found the cave where she was held for three days.
Kidnap case sparks clamour for bodyguards among rich and famous
As fear factor takes hold amid high-profile kidnap probe, security experts warn that some guards offering services may not be qualified
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 06 May, 2015, 11:43pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 06 May, 2015, 11:43pm
Security jitters sparked by one of Hong Kong's highest-profile kidnap investigations have seen a rush for private security services by the city's rich and famous.
A former top anti-terrorism officer in the Hong Kong police who now operates in the private sector said there has been increased demand for bodyguards.
But he warned some ex-police officers could be trying to cash in on the fear factor by exaggerating their level of experience to land lucrative security contracts.
International corporations and wealthy families in the city are among those reassessing their security arrangements.
The moves come as the hunt for members of a gang accused of kidnapping heiress Queenie Rosita Law, granddaughter of late Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, continues following her release after her family paid a HK$28 million ransom.
Seven suspects have been arrested so far - six in Guangdong and one in Hong Kong, who appeared in court yesterday.
Former police superintendent Clement Lai Ka-chi, founder of the police counter-terrorism unit, said fear could lead to families and businesses being duped if proper background checks are not carried out.
"Since the kidnapping case, a lot of people are coming out claiming to be experienced with VIP protection training without the certification," said Li, who served for a decade with G4, the elite VIP protection unit that guards the chief executive and other dignitaries.
He warned that some former police officers were overstating their experience in uniform.
Lai, who left the force last year, explained: "I've never seen them in the unit before as protection officers. There will be people in our unit who will stand up and say, 'Don't lie to us'."
Bruce McLaren, director of security firm Signal 8, said weak background checks meant anyone could pass themselves off as a bodyguard in Hong Kong.
"There are people working in Hong Kong who have never done a day's bodyguard training in their lives, and unless you do an official background check, clients assume bodyguards are qualified," McLaren said.
Although the high-profile and aggressive nature of the latest kidnap may have sparked alarm, Hong Kong last year actually reported its lowest annual crime rate since 1973. The number of reported cases fell to 936 cases per 100,000 people, with crimes in all categories totalling 67,740.
The latest case has evoked memories of late billionaire property tycoon Teddy Wang Teh-huei. Wang had to pay out HK$11 million when first abducted, after which he failed to hire a bodyguard or install even a basic home security system.
In 1990 he was kidnapped again. This time the abductors demanded HK$467 million. Although HK$$260 million was paid, Wang was never seen again.
In 1996, Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, son of Li Ka-shing, was kidnapped, and Walter Kwok Ping-sheung, chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties, suffered the same fate - both crimes masterminded by infamous Hong Kong thug "Big Spender" Cheung Tze-keung. Cheung made off with HK$1.38 billion and HK$600 million respectively in each case.
One former British Army Gurhka bodyguard who works for a billionaire property tycoon said the latest kidnapping and ransom case "has seen a surge" in the security industry. Speaking anonymously due to client confidentiality, he said: "In our group of ex-British Army Gurkhas, we are trying to recruit more [to meet demand]," he said.
Steve Vickers, security risk consultant and former head of the police criminal intelligence unit, said: "The recent publicity surrounding the high-profile abduction and ransom payment have caused concern among many wealthy families in Hong Kong."
Vickers, who runs his own security consultancy SVA, disclosed he was currently working with insurance companies on aspects of kidnap and ransom cover.
Vickers said his firm had recently been contacted by 10 international corporations, 10 families and individuals plus three chambers of commerce seeking advice on security.
Hooded Zheng Xingwang in the reconstruction. Photo: Felix Wong
The first of the men accused over last week's kidnapping of Bossini heiress Queenie Rosita Law appeared in court yesterday and did not enter a plea - but he did ask for a shower.
Zheng Xingwang, the only one of the alleged abductors to be arrested in Hong Kong, appeared in Kwun Tong Court wearing a black T-shirt to face one count of kidnapping.
The 29-year-old from Wengan county, Guizhou province was ordered to remain in police custody until he appears in court again on Monday. Prosecutors said there would be an identification parade and further investigation into the HK$28 million kidnapping for ransom.
A large crowd of journalists surrounds the police car carrying Zheng Xingwang. Photo: Sam Tsang
The prosecution alleges that Zheng, conspiring with five unknown males, "did by force take away female X against her will, with intent to procure a ransom or benefit for her liberation" between April 25 and April 28. The victim was not identified in court, in accordance with the law.
The court clerk asked Zheng twice whether he understood the charges before he replied in Putonghua: "I understand."
The maximum penalty for the crime is life imprisonment under the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.
Zheng's lawyer asked whether police could arrange for him to take a shower, and prosecutors said that could be done.
The accused also wore a black T-shirt on Tuesday when he was brought out in public as police began reconstructing the crime. They took him to Choi Hung MTR station and a home on Clear Water Bay Road in Sai Kung.
READ MORE: Guangdong police arrest five suspects over kidnap of Hong Kong fashion heiress Queenie Law
It emerged on Tuesday that five suspects in the case had been arrested in Guangdong province, including two who were picked up in Shenzhen on Monday morning. Zheng was arrested on Sunday night as he tried to leave Hong Kong for Shenzhen at the Lo Wu immigration checkpoint.
A gang of six people allegedly broke into Law's family home in Sai Kung on April 25 and abducted her, as well as stealing HK$2 million in cash and valuables from the home.
She was held for three days in a secluded cave in Fei Ngo Shan before her kidnappers called her father and demanded more than HK$40 million. That amount was reduced to HK$28 million, and the victim was released after her father paid it.
Queenie Rosita Law kidnap suspect takes part in four-hour police reconstruction
Man accused of role in abducting heiress becomes main actor in four-hour public reconstruction
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 05 May, 2015, 11:47am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 06 May, 2015, 8:44am
Bryan Harris and Clifford Lo
Kidnap victim Queenie Rosita Law meets media. Photo: David Wong
One of Hong Kong's highest- profile police crime reconstructions in recent years took place in the full media glare yesterday as investigations continued into the kidnap for ransom of Bossini clothing chain heiress Queenie Rosita Law.
Police carried out a carefully choreographed four-hour reconstruction, the main actor in which was a 29-year-old mainland man, surnamed Zheng, who was last night charged in connection with the alleged kidnap and who is expected to appear in Kwun Tong Court this morning.
Zheng was taken to Choi Hung MTR station, where police formed a cordon around him as they walked him to nearby locations.
The reconstruction then moved on to Clear Water Bay Road, across from Law's home which has been cordoned off by police as they try to piece together their investigation into an alleged crime that has captured the public imagination.
Zheng was the first person arrested since the alleged robbery and kidnapping of Law from her home in Clear Water Bay Road on April 25. She was released four days later after a HK$28 million ransom - which has not been recovered - was paid.
A police source said yesterday that Zheng was suspected of being responsible for taking food and drink to the victim and the other suspected abductors.
"He walked downhill from Fei Ngo Shan to Choi Hung where he bought food and drink and then he walked back uphill to their hideout," the source said. "We were told he bought bread and hamburgers for the victim."
According to Google Maps, it is about 3.7km from Choi Hung to a hillside near Pak Fa Lam where two empty suitcases suspected of having been used in the ransom exchange were found Wednesday. The source did not say how often the alleged deliveries were made.
Yesterday, the suspect was handcuffed and held on a tight metal chain leash by a police officer who kept his other hand on his shoulder.
Police kept media and the public well out of reach as they walked with him to various parts of Choi Hung. At one point, police cordoned off a number of shops inside the MTR station.
They took Zheng to exit B, where he was held before media and the public. The hooded suspect, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt, was assisted by an interpreter.
Two inspectors questioned him with the interpreter's aid, and the suspect was seen pointing to different locations around the MTR station. He appeared to be whispering as the officers leaned in close to him.
Police then took Zheng to the centre of the nearby market, to an area in front of a Baptist church and a number of restaurants.
The 29-year-old suspect was arrested at about 10.30pm on Sunday at the Lo Wu border checkpoint. He held a two-way permit, the travel document mainlanders use to visit Hong Kong. The suspect is understood to have come from Guizhou province.
He is one of two suspects identified by police. Photos of the two men were released last Wednesday as police made a public appeal for help to locate them. A huge manhunt has been underway since Law was released last Tuesday night.
Police say the six Putonghua-speaking men planned the break-in and kidnap, and suspect they dug a cave to hide out in Ma On Shan Country Park, where they held Law for three days.
Law, the granddaughter of late Bossini founder Law Ting-pong, was allegedly hidden in the secluded cave at Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak, while the kidnappers called her father and demanded more than HK$40 million as payment for her release.
After negotiations, the sum was lowered to HK$28 million.
Police continued to search the area around Loi Tung Village, in Sha Tau Kok, after a woman there reported she had noticed strangers speaking Putonghua in her neighbourhood in recent months.
The investigation comes at a challenging time for the police force as they face a new era under new commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung following the retirement of former chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung.
Additional reporting by Lai Ying-kit, Jennifer Ngo and He Huifeng
The suspect is escorted around vicinity of the MTR station and a nearby market during a reconstruction. Photo: Felix Wong
The elderly uncle of a suspect in the Bossini heiress kidnap case recalled receiving an "unusual" telephone call in Guizhou province from his nephew shortly before the drama began to unfold in Hong Kong.
Farmer Xiong Fagui, 70, spoke of his shock and disbelief that 22-year-old Xiong Denghui, a "self-righteous and filial" lad, could have been caught up in the criminal plot that led to his arrest in Shenzhen along with five other men earlier this week.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post from outside the locked-up home of his nephew in Dahe village deep in the Guizhou mountains, Xiong, a rice and corn farmer all his life, also spoke of the risks and temptations poor rural folk were exposed to when moving to cities in search of work.
Shortly before the high-profile abduction played out on April 25, he took a call from his nephew.
"About half a month earlier, Xiao Fei suddenly called and told me to pay more attention to my health," Xiong said yesterday, using his nephew's nickname.
"He had never talked to me like this in previous calls, so I asked him why, where he was and whether he had found a job.
"But he just changed the subject, so I told him to stay safe and not to do anything bad. He sounded quite reassuring and told me not to worry, that he would never break the law."
That was the last time Xiong senior heard from the young man - until last week, when relatives who watched television reports of his arrest returned to Dahe and broke the news. "I could never imagine my nephew kidnapping someone. He had always been a filial son and a well-behaved boy.
"But life has not been easy for him after both his parents died when he was about 15," Xiong added. "This wooden house here was built more than 10 years ago using the 20,000 yuan (HK$25,000) his parents got selling their blood twice a month over a four-year period."
The "blood money" - totalling 70 yuan to 80 yuan per donation - was literally the family's lifeblood until both father and mother died of leukaemia. According to the uncle, the younger Xiong's prime motivation for leaving the village was to make money to replace his parents' and grandparents' unmarked makeshift graves with proper tombstones. "He kept saying it was the first thing he had to do upon earning enough money. Each grave would cost 10,000 yuan, but he never seemed to stay at one job for long."
Xiong quit school at 16 and, after a failed attempt to join the army, left the village aged 18. A string of jobs followed outside his native Guizhou until last year, when he returned to Wengan county centre, where developing shopping centres and residential complexes made construction work easy to come by.
On his last return to Dahe, during the Lunar New Year in February, nothing suggested he might have gone off the rails or had more money than usual, said Yin Zhulun, 45, a neighbour who lived next to the Xiong family. "He seemed as broke as ever. I told him I was worried he would not be able to find himself a wife."
Poverty was the main reason youngsters looked for opportunities elsewhere, Xiong senior said, but the "gullible" nature of rural villagers made them easy targets for society's "bad eggs".
"His life has been full of misery, and it's such a pity if he has taken this path, probably after trusting the wrong people. I wish I could have been more of a help, but keeping ourselves at the subsistence level has been hard enough already for my family."
Suspect in kidnap of Bossini heiress rang uncle shortly before crime
Guizhou native showed no signs that he would break the law in recent phone call to his relative
PUBLISHED : Friday, 08 May, 2015, 2:57am
UPDATED : Friday, 08 May, 2015, 2:46pm
Standing in front of the family house of suspect Xiong Denghui, Xiong Fagui, 70, the suspect's uncle (elder brother of suspect's father), said Xiong's parents sold their blood two times a week for four years to save enough money to build the house for their family completed in 2000. Photo: Dickson LeeThe elderly uncle of a suspect in the Bossini heiress kidnap case recalled receiving an "unusual" telephone call in Guizhou province from his nephew shortly before the drama began to unfold in Hong Kong.
Farmer Xiong Fagui, 70, spoke of his shock and disbelief that 22-year-old Xiong Denghui, a "self-righteous and filial" lad, could have been caught up in the criminal plot that led to his arrest in Shenzhen along with five other men earlier this week.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post from outside the locked-up home of his nephew in Dahe village deep in the Guizhou mountains, Xiong, a rice and corn farmer all his life, also spoke of the risks and temptations poor rural folk were exposed to when moving to cities in search of work.
Shortly before the high-profile abduction played out on April 25, he took a call from his nephew.
"About half a month earlier, Xiao Fei suddenly called and told me to pay more attention to my health," Xiong said yesterday, using his nephew's nickname.
The suspect's uncle Xiong Fagui (left), 70, and Wang Anxue (right), 80, a neighbour close to the Xiong family, said the suspect Xiong Denghui had always been a filial son and well-behaved boy before and after he left for jobs elsewhere at the age of 18. Photo: Dickson Lee
"He had never talked to me like this in previous calls, so I asked him why, where he was and whether he had found a job.
"But he just changed the subject, so I told him to stay safe and not to do anything bad. He sounded quite reassuring and told me not to worry, that he would never break the law."
That was the last time Xiong senior heard from the young man - until last week, when relatives who watched television reports of his arrest returned to Dahe and broke the news. "I could never imagine my nephew kidnapping someone. He had always been a filial son and a well-behaved boy.
"But life has not been easy for him after both his parents died when he was about 15," Xiong added. "This wooden house here was built more than 10 years ago using the 20,000 yuan (HK$25,000) his parents got selling their blood twice a month over a four-year period."
The "blood money" - totalling 70 yuan to 80 yuan per donation - was literally the family's lifeblood until both father and mother died of leukaemia. According to the uncle, the younger Xiong's prime motivation for leaving the village was to make money to replace his parents' and grandparents' unmarked makeshift graves with proper tombstones. "He kept saying it was the first thing he had to do upon earning enough money. Each grave would cost 10,000 yuan, but he never seemed to stay at one job for long."
Xiong quit school at 16 and, after a failed attempt to join the army, left the village aged 18. A string of jobs followed outside his native Guizhou until last year, when he returned to Wengan county centre, where developing shopping centres and residential complexes made construction work easy to come by.
On his last return to Dahe, during the Lunar New Year in February, nothing suggested he might have gone off the rails or had more money than usual, said Yin Zhulun, 45, a neighbour who lived next to the Xiong family. "He seemed as broke as ever. I told him I was worried he would not be able to find himself a wife."
Poverty was the main reason youngsters looked for opportunities elsewhere, Xiong senior said, but the "gullible" nature of rural villagers made them easy targets for society's "bad eggs".
"His life has been full of misery, and it's such a pity if he has taken this path, probably after trusting the wrong people. I wish I could have been more of a help, but keeping ourselves at the subsistence level has been hard enough already for my family."
Zheng Xingwang, a suspect in Queenie Law's kidnapping, at court on Monday. Photo: David Wong
The only person arrested in Hong Kong over last month's alleged kidnapping of Bossini heiress Queenie Law has had his court case adjourned for eight weeks pending further investigations by police.
Wearing a black T-shirt, Zheng Xingwang, 29, did not enter a plea on one count of conspiring to take or detain a person by force, the charge commonly known as kidnapping. Kwun Tong Court adjourned the case until July 7.
Zheng's lawyers did not oppose the adjournment and did not apply for bail.
Acting Principal Magistrate Don So Man-lung ordered that Zheng, from Wengan county, Guizhou province, be remanded in custody pending his next appearance.
The court had earlier heard that Zheng conspired with five unknown males to "by force take away female X against her will, with intent to procure a ransom or benefit for her liberation" between April 25 and 28.
In accordance with the law, the victim was not named in court.
The maximum penalty for kidnapping is life imprisonment.
Zheng was arrested when he tried to leave Hong Kong for Shenzhen at the Lo Wu immigration checkpoint. Six other suspects in the case have since been arrested in Guangdong province.
The case has gripped the city in recent weeks. The drama began on April 25, when six men allegedly broke into Law's family home in Sai Kung on April 25. As well as abducting the heiress, they stole HK$2 million in cash and valuables from the home.
She was held for three days in a secluded cave in Fei Ngo Shan, also known as Kowloon Peak, before the kidnappers called her father, Raymond Law Ka-kui, and demanded more than HK$40 million. That amount was reduced to HK$28 million, and the victim was released after her father paid it.
Queenie Law kidnap suspects may be tried in mainland China due to lack of extradition deal: legal experts
With no extradition agreement in place, five arrested in Guangdong may not be handed over
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 07 May, 2015, 4:51am
UPDATED : Friday, 15 May, 2015, 10:54am
Lai Ying-kit and Tony Cheung
Legislator James To Kun-sun said it was unlikely the mainland would hand the suspects to Hong Kong because there was no extradition agreement between the two. Photo: Nora Tam
Six suspects arrested on the mainland in connection with the kidnapping of Bossini heiress Queenie Rosita Law could be tried there in the absence of an extradition deal with Hong Kong, legal experts have said.
The six were arrested in Guangdong province on Monday morning. A seventh suspect, Zheng Xingwang, was arrested in Hong Kong on Sunday night as he tried to leave for Shenzhen. He appeared in court yesterday.
Legal experts said Hong Kong had jurisdiction over the kidnapping because it took place in the city. But as the suspects might be linked to other offences relating to the planning of the alleged kidnapping, mainland authorities could prosecute them and not hand them to Hong Kong.
Legislator James To Kun-sun, who is also a lawyer, said yesterday it was unlikely the mainland would hand the suspects, who are mainlanders, to Hong Kong because there was no extradition agreement between the two.
"Mainlanders won't be handed to Hong Kong just because they committed a crime in Hong Kong," he said.
Detectives take a suspect out for a reconstruction related to the Queenie Rosita Law kidnap case. Photo: Felix Wong
Another legislator, Paul Tse Wai-chun, agreed that without an extradition agreement, there was little Hong Kong could do to suspects who crossed the border.
But To said there was an arrangement under which the mainland would "expel" suspects from Hong Kong back to the city at the request of Hong Kong police. An example was the two main suspects in last year's attack on former Ming Pao chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to.
But To noted the two in the Lau case were Hongkongers.
Professor Simon Young, associate dean of the University of Hong Kong's law faculty, expected the suspects would be sent to Hong Kong first, before they were prosecuted on the mainland.
Young said that although the mainland might have enough evidence to charge them with property offences, as they allegedly handled a HK$28 million ransom across the border, the authorities might allow Hong Kong to prosecute the suspects over the more serious offence of kidnapping first.
"It would not be in the public interest to delay the Hong Kong prosecution of the more serious offence of kidnapping" possibly for years, he said.
"My guess is that the mainland authorities will simply return them to Hong Kong to face prosecution first."
For criminals, trials in Hong Kong and on the mainland can mean different fates. The toughest sentence in Hong Kong is life imprisonment while the mainland has the death penalty.
In one high-profile example, gangster "Big Spender" Cheung Tse-keung, who kidnapped tycoon's Li Ka-shing's son Victor in 1996, was sentenced to death by a Guangdong court in 1998 after being arrested on the mainland. Cheung was charged with crimes including murder, kidnapping and smuggling explosives.
