Robbers make off with HK$3m of goods in van hijack
Driver abducted and businessman held at knifepoint; second such incident in two months
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 06 November, 2013, 5:56am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 06 November, 2013, 5:56am
Clifford Lo [email protected]
The hijacked van was carrying iPhone 5s and computer parts.
Five robbers held a mainland businessman at knifepoint, abducted a delivery driver and hijacked their van before fleeing with HK$3 million worth of electronic products, police say.
The gang first rammed their car into the van, which was carrying iPhone 5s and computer parts, before two of them bundled the driver into their car and another two sped off with the businessman in the van. The van was later found burnt out.
A police source said officers were investigating the possibility that the hold-up - the second such hijacking in two months - was an inside job.
The van was rammed at about 10.30pm on Monday night at the junction of Hung To Road and King Yip Street in Kwun Tong.
It was an apparent attempt to lure the 28-year-old driver out of his vehicle. When he left the van, four men jumped out of the white car, while the fifth remained at the wheel.
"Two of the culprits assaulted the driver of the delivery van and then pushed him into the car," a police investigator said.
"The other two got into the van and held the businessman at knifepoint before driving off with the vehicle."
The 25-year-old businessman was pushed out of the van shortly afterwards in Kwun Tong. He was unhurt in the incident.
About 20 minutes later, the driver was kicked out of the car in Ma On Shan. He suffered minor injuries.
The van was then driven to Fanling and abandoned at Tai Wo Service Road West, where it was set alight at about 11.30pm. Police believe the gang torched the vehicle to destroy evidence.
Investigators made a fruitless search of the scene after firemen doused the flames.
Police said the businessman bought the mobile phones and computer components in Mong Kok on Monday evening.
He was thought to have been taking the goods to a warehouse in Kwun Tong for storage before taking them to the mainland.
Another officer, who described the hijacking as an organised robbery, said the culprits appeared to have received information about the delivery. "We are investigating whether it was an inside job," he said.
Police are looking for five men, who are thought to be aged between 20 and 30.
The Kwun Tong district crime squad is investigating. So far, no one has been arrested.
On September 24, two men brandishing axes and posing as logistics workers hijacked a cross-border truck in the New Territories.
The men, who were apparently aware of the route that the truck was taking, made off with HK$15.5 million worth of computer hard disks.
