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Clifford Lo

Oscar Liu

A three-year-old boy was stuffed into a suitcase shortly after being abducted in a Tseung Kwan O shopping centre, allegedly for a ransom of more than HK$5.1 million, Hong Kong police said on Thursday.
Chief Superintendent Kwan King-pan revealed officers broke into a flat to rescue the boy and arrested two women in connection with the kidnapping case at 5.25am on Thursday, about 12 hours after the abduction in Tseung Kwan O Plaza.
“The victim was sent to hospital for a medical examination that showed he did not suffer any injuries. He is conscious and now under observation in hospital,” said Kwan, head of the organised crime and triad bureau.
He said police were still investigating whether the boy had been drugged to knock him unconscious during his 12-hour ordeal.

Police said the two suspects, both 38, did not know the boy’s family and officers were still investigating why the pair targeted him. One suspect is a visitor from mainland China while the other holds a Hong Kong identity card.
“We don’t rule out the possibility that the two suspects took the risk to commit the crime due to financial problems,” Kwan said, adding that the investigation showed at this stage that the pair had no accomplices.
Describing the case as “premeditated”, Kwan said the pair had prepared a stroller and a suitcase to transport the victim and had brought a change of clothes for themselves in an effort to hide their identities and evade detection.
One suspect snatched the boy while he was playing with his elder sister outside a shop in the mall at 4.30pm on Wednesday. The captor gave the sister a ransom note, which also warned the family not to call police.
The Post learned that the family was told to pay 660,000 Tether digital coins worth more than HK$5.1 million to have the boy released.
Tether is a stablecoin, which is a type of digital currency that aims to maintain a steady valuation.
A photo circulating online, captured from surveillance camera footage, shows the boy being grabbed and carried away by an individual wearing a cap, a mask and shorts.
Kwan said the abductor covered the boy’s mouth with her hand to prevent him from shouting for help.
“We believe one of the suspects forcibly took away the boy and put him in a stroller nearby before pushing him to a quiet place such as a park,” he said.
“The other suspect carried a suitcase to meet her and the boy was then placed in the suitcase and taken to [one of the suspects’ home].”
A source said the boy was taken to a flat, rented by the Hongkonger, at The Wings private housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.
After identifying the suspects and the flat, officers from the bureau raided the premises and rescued the boy.

Another source said the boy was asleep when officers broke into the flat. “He was woken up and taken to hospital for a medical examination,” he said.
The source said the mainland suspect was the holder of a two-way permit – a travel document that allows mainlanders to visit Hong Kong.
“She came to Hong Kong several days ago,” the source said, adding that officers were investigating how the pair knew each other and teamed up to commit the crime.
Officers arrested the pair in the flat and seized the suitcase and clothing the suspects were wearing at the time of the incident.
Kwan said no ransom was paid. Asked why the suspects demanded the ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency, he said it was possible some criminals misunderstood that it was difficult to track down the flow of cryptocurrency.
He reiterated that police were capable and confident in combating and solving such crime, adding the suspects’ act deserved “strong condemnation”.
At around 2pm on Thursday, one of the suspects was carried on a stretcher into an ambulance at Tseung Kwan O Police Station. She was taken to Tseung Kwan O Hospital for examination.
Dozens of officers from the force’s Police Tactical Unit mounted a search for evidence at the waterfront park outside The Wings at around 3pm.
Officers from the bureau are investigating the case, which is being treated as a kidnapping. In Hong Kong, abduction is punishable by up to life in prison.
In the first five months of this year, the city’s violent crime rate rose by 9.4 per cent to 4,237 cases, compared with 3,872 reports logged in the same period in 2023.


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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong boy, 3, stuffed into suitcase after being snatched in mall in HK$5.1 million kidnap case, police say

Police received reports a boy was forcibly taken from TKO Plaza in Tseung Kwan O on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook/Vanessa Chan

One of the suspects is taken to hospital on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Jelly Tse

Superintendent Chau Ka-man (left), Chief Superintendent Kwan King-pan and Chief Inspector Wong Chi-yu reveal details about the kidnapping case. Photo: Elson Li

1 of 2 suspects accused of snatching Hong Kong boy, 3, in mall brought to scene for police re-enactment

Police officers brought the suspect to Tseung Kwan O Plaza before midday on Friday. Photo: Jelly Tse

The boy was snatched in the shopping centre on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Facebook/Vanessa Chan

Hong Kong pair jailed for abducting woman outside prison over 500,000 yuan financial dispute

The abduction was captured in footage that circulated online. A prison officer (right) is seen intervening,  Photo: Handout

The victim is pulled her into the abductors’ vehicle at a bus stop near Stanley Prison. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong businessman, son surrender to police over abduction of cryptocurrency investor

The two suspects were still being held for questioning as of Thursday morning. Photo: Sun Yeung

An insider says the businessman allegedly invested HK$15 million in virtual currency through the victim. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Pair arrested after boy rescued by police in early morning raid on Tseung Kwan O flat


Pair arrested after boy rescued by police in early morning raid on Tseung Kwan O flat.


Hong Kong police

Crime