2 women accused of abducting Hong Kong boy, 3, at mall remanded in custody
- Prosecutors claim two women snatched boy at Tseung Kwan O Plaza against his will ‘with intent to procure a ransom or benefit for his liberation’
Two jobless women accused of abducting a three-year-old boy at a Hong Kong shopping centre for a ransom of US$660,000 in cryptocurrency have been remanded in custody following a brief court hearing.
The suspects, Xue Shanshan and Leung Lai-wa, both 38, were escorted to Eastern Court on Saturday to face a joint charge of kidnapping over their alleged roles in the abduction on Wednesday in Tseung Kwan O.
Prosecutors alleged the two women, who both said they were unemployed, snatched the boy at Tseung Kwan O Plaza against his will “with intent to procure a ransom or benefit for his liberation”.
The indictment shows Xue arrived in the city with a mainland Chinese two-way entry permit, while Leung holds a Hong Kong identity card.
The two women said they lived together at a flat at The Wings private housing complex in Tseung Kwan O, where the boy was believed to have been detained.
The pair, using a Mandarin interpreter, said they understood the charge.
