Late Hong Kong tycoon Cheng Yu-tung’s family home burgled for second time in two years
No CCTV footage of any suspicious persons, and no arrests have been made
A luxury home owned by the family of late Hong Kong property tycoon Cheng Yu-tung was found burgled for the second time in two years on Thursday morning, with jewellery and HK$30,000 (US$3,820) missing.
A female housekeeper reported the case at 5.46am, saying there had been a burglary at 12 Repulse Bay Road. Initial investigation showed that about 10 pieces of gold jewellery, some red packets and cash were taken after the burglar entered an unoccupied main bedroom and a storeroom.
A review of CCTV footage has yet to show any suspicious persons, and no arrests were made as of Thursday evening.
Known as Estrellita, the property is located on the side of the 433-metre Violet Hill. It has its own outdoor tennis court and swimming pool on the hillside.
A police source said the housekeeper reported the case after she found a window on the first floor had been prised open.
“A wardrobe in the room was also levered [open]. No one was injured,” the source said. “It is unclear when the burglary took place as the housekeeper last found the rooms in good shape on Tuesday. So the crime happened sometime between Tuesday and Thursday morning.”
The Post understands that Cheng’s widow, Chow Tsui-ying, was at home when police arrived.
The house was also burgled on August 8, 2016. During that break-in, at least four 15cm gold statues were stolen from an unoccupied guest room.
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His son, Henry Cheng, 71, is currently ranked Hong Kong’s 49th richest person, with a net worth of US$1.3 billion. The Cheng family’s net worth amounts to US$22.5 billion. It is ranked third in Hong Kong and eighth in Asia.
There were 1,872 burglary cases in the city last year, down 23 per cent from 2016 and the lowest total since records were first kept in 1969. About 1,308 of the cases involved residential premises.
Luxury houses and flats in affluent areas such as The Peak, Repulse Bay, Kowloon Tong and Deep Water Bay have been increasingly targeted by burglars in recent years.
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Cheng lost HK$3 million in cash and valuables, while HK$13,000 in cash and gold coins belonging to Poon went missing.
