THE mother of missing nine-year-old Leung Wan-wah insists: 'I know my daughter is alive somewhere.' Au Yeung Yau-choi broke down as she spoke of the six-month ordeal waiting for news of her daughter who disappeared from her home in Thistle Street, Tai Kok Tsui, on August 21. 'She is only nine years old. She has never done anything wrong or upset anyone,' she said. 'How could anyone be so cruel, taking her away and not allowing her to come home?' In their desperate quest for news, Wan-wah's father, Leung Cho-wang, visited a fortune-teller in his home town in Guangdong. His wife saw another fortune-teller in Central over the Lunar New Year. Both told them that their daughter was still alive and was being held against her will. However, she would return home by the summer, they were told in a prediction that has given them a ray of hope. Her mother said: 'She is only a little girl. She is weak and thin and only weighs 40 pounds [18kg]. I'm afraid she may not be able to bear the hardship of living outdoors, if that is what has happened to her.' The family stayed in Hong Kong over the Lunar New Year, afraid to go to their mainland home town as usual in case Wan-wah returned home and found no one to greet her. 'Sometimes, I think I would have preferred it if she had died in a car accident. At least then I would know she was dead and why she was dead,' her mother said. 'But as it is, I know nothing. Nothing at all.' Since Wan-wah vanished, Ms Au Yeung and her husband rarely allow their other children outside alone. 'Sometimes I think if I had spent more time at home it might never have happened.' The last man to see Wan-wah was a 27-year-old neighbour who used to look after the girl's pet rabbit. He has been charged with deception after allegedly obtaining $1,500 from the missing girl's parents to make a trip to Macau to look for Wan-wah. He has been released on $1,000 bail and has to report to police again next week. Police have offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who can help find Wan-wah. Anyone with information should ring 2527 7177. Seven-year-old Pang Kam-mei, reported missing in Shekkipmei yesterday, was found in Sha Tin last night by a woman near her cooked food stall on Lung Hang Estate. She was uninjured.