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Two mainland Chinese robbers who held architect Ma Kim-see, 67, captive for about four hours while an accomplice took his wife to withdraw money and buy gold ornaments at the weekend were still at large on Monday night despite a massive air, sea and land search.
Security sources told the Post that police had enhanced surveillance at smuggling black spots across the city in case the men tried to flee into Shenzhen. It is understood the pair freed Ma and fled with less than HK$100,000 in cash and silver ornaments from the victim’s Sai Kung home.
The gang member with Ma’s wife was captured at a police road block. He reportedly told investigators they swam into the city from the Yantian area of Shenzhen and went ashore at Sha Tau Kok last week. He said they then walked for several hours before taking public transport to Sai Kung.
Detectives are investigating whether the gang committed another robbery in which three masked men wearing gloves broke into a Greenpeak Villa house in Sai Kung on Thursday last week and robbed a couple at knifepoint, escaping with HK$4,900 and two mobile phones worth about HK$9,300.
“Police will seek help from their Guangdong counterparts to track down the two suspects if necessary,” one source said.
The suspect in custody, 27, was an illegal immigrant from Guizhou province, according to police.
Mainlanders from Guizhou have been linked to a string of recent high-profile crimes in Hong Kong, including the HK$28 million kidnapping of clothing chain Bossini heiress Queenie Rosita Law in 2015.
Ma who founded MLA Architects more than 20 years ago, and his wife, also 67, were unhurt in the incident.
“He is fine,” his secretary and personal assistant said on Monday, adding that he needed rest and would not return to the office this week.
When asked whether he was suffering from shock, she replied: “It’s usual for anyone to be shocked in such circumstances.”
She said her boss was uninjured and did not need to go to hospital for a check-up.
The couple’s ordeal began when the gang wearing masks climbed into the house through a second-floor toilet window at the upscale Bella Vista estate at about 7.45pm on Saturday.
They tied up the couple’s domestic helper and punched Ma twice before searching for cash and valuables. The couple were threatened with knives and forced to get into their Audi with the three robbers and Ma’s wife was asked to drive to Tseung Kwan O.
Shortly after the car was driven out of the estate at about 8.30pm, two of the men got out of the car with Ma. It is understood he was held at knifepoint and guarded in bushes at a hillside near A Kung Wan.
The third robber remained with Ma’s wife, who drove into the car park of Hau Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O, before the pair went to two goldsmith shops in East Point City to buy HK$260,000 worth of gold ornaments at about 9pm. She was also forced to withdraw HK$20,000 from an ATM before picking up her car.
At the same time, the couple’s maid managed to free herself and called police, who launched an air, land and sea search.
The car was intercepted at about 10.30pm. Officers arrested the mainland man and rescued Ma’s wife, who was unhurt. At about 12.30am on Sunday, Ma was found unhurt on A Kung Wan Road but the two robbers had escaped into the woods.
(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
