Security guards helped thief in HK$4.5m robbery of flat, resident claims
A City Garden resident is suing the estate's property manager for a blatant breach of duty after its security guards let a burglar into the building and helped him remove HK$4.5 million worth of property from her flat.
Chong Yuk-mui is suing Cayley Property Management, the property manager of the residential estate in Electric Road, North Point.
According to Chong's statement of claim filed with the High Court, a burglar broke into her flat and another flat at the estate on October 8, 2009.
A security guard at the entrance of Chong's block failed to inquire about the identity of the burglar, let him in and then helped him remove a safe he had stolen from Chong's flat through the lobby of the building.
The safe contained large sums of banknotes of different currencies and a collection of luxury watches and jewels, including a HK$380,000 Patek Philippe watch and 7-carat diamond worth HK$880,000.
Chong installed the safe in her home after the bank where she used to keep her valuables in a safe deposit box was relocated in 2003, court documents said.
She is seeking compensation from the property management company, holding it responsible for breach of duty.
Chong claims the security guard failed in his duty by not assessing who the stranger was before letting them in and that the company failed to install enough surveillance cameras at appropriate locations in the building to record the entry and departure of possible burglars.
She is also asking for HK$5,000 to cover the cost of repairing her door and locks and for cleaning the flat after the burglary.
