Mahjong partner arrested in case of murdered 88-year-old woman
A mahjong partner of an 88-year-old woman who was murdered at her home in Kwai Chung on Monday has been arrested by police.
The 47-year-old mainland woman was hooded and chained as she was escorted by officers back to the home of Lee Wai-lan in Fu Nga House, Tai Wo Hau Estate, to reconstruct the alleged crime.
She was then taken to a goldsmith's shop in Tsuen Wan Market Street where it is alleged she sold five gold ornaments stolen from Lee worth a total of HK$10,000. The woman was also escorted to a mahjong parlour in Yi Pei Square, which she is said to have visited after the alleged killing. She was being detained for questioning at Kwai Chung Police Station last night.
A 67-year-old Hong Kong man, who was arrested by police in connection with the case on Tuesday, was released on bail of HK$10,000 yesterday and must report back on October 20.
A 50-year-old Hong Kong woman, who was arrested as she returned to Hong Kong from Shenzhen on Wednesday, has been released from custody unconditionally. Last night, none of the suspects in the case had been charged.
Lee's mainland mahjong partner came to Hong Kong in August on a three-month visa to visit her parents who live on the same estate as the murdered woman.
She visited Lee on Monday morning. About 90 minutes later Lee was found unconscious in bed by her niece and was declared dead by paramedics at the scene. A post-mortem examination showed she had died from suffocation.
After interviewing Lee's friends, including other mahjong partners, and checking closed-circuit television footage in her building, police identified the 47-year-old mahjong partner as a key suspect. She then disappeared for a few days but was arrested when she returned to her parents' home before dawn yesterday. Police found Lee's mobile phone in the parents' flat.
Police said the suspect had visited a mahjong parlour in Tsuen Wan several times before her arrest.
Police figures show there were 27 reports of homicide in the first eight months of this year, down from 37 in the same period last year.
