Manhunt launched for suspected rapist who tied up Hong Kong student outside Kowloon Bay MTR station
Police are searching for a Cantonese-speaking Chinese man who attacked a 22-year-old woman in the early hours of Sunday
Police are searching for a Cantonese-speaking Chinese man after a student was raped and robbed outside Kowloon Bay MTR station in the early hours of Sunday.
The victim, a 22-year-old woman, was tied up with a cable and held for about three hours after the culprit told her he had a knife, according to police sources.
She had her smartphone snatched at a Kwun Tong Road footbridge at about 12.30am on Sunday while on her way home, before the attacker fled the scene. She shouted for help but no one was around. She then gave chase, according to police.
When she reached the bottom of the footbridge, the woman found the man hiding in a flowerbed, one police source said.
“Suddenly, the man rushed out and grabbed the victim who said he had a knife. He then covered her head with his jacket and tied her hands with her computer cable,” the source said.
The victim was then taken to a corner next to the flowerbed, where she was raped.
“The woman was also ordered to reveal the PIN numbers for her two bank cards, and was then freed before the culprit fled,” the source said.
The woman returned home and told her family what had happened, who then called police at about 6.50am the same day.
The woman was taken to a public hospital, where she was discharged after an examination.
According to police, the 1.67-metre-tall man is thought to be aged about 30 and of medium build. He was wearing a black T-shirt and black trousers with black-framed glasses at the time of the attack.
“We believe the culprit is a Hongkonger and he seems to be familiar with the area,”the source said.
He said it was not clear if he was carrying a weapon at the time.
“Our officers were told the victim did not see any weapon at the time of the incident,” he said.
On Monday morning a team of plain-clothes detectives carried out inquiries near the footbridge.
The case was first being investigated by the Sau Mau Ping district crime squad, before being taken over by officers from the Kowloon East regional crime unit on Monday morning.
Another source said police were “very concerned” about the case and that the Kowloon East regional crime unit, with more manpower and resources, had been assigned to handle it. So far no one has been arrested. He said police had stepped up patrols in the area.
Police figures show there were 71 reports of rape last year and 70 in 2015.
