Ex-husband of murdered Hong Kong model Abby Choi arrested at pier ‘trying to abscond’ while former father-in-law believed to have plotted gruesome killing
- Murder believed to have been committed over dispute concerning property at Kadoorie Hill in Ho Man Tin, according to insider
- The 28-year-old influencer’s head, torso and hands are still missing, with police to resume search on Sunday morning
Police have arrested the ex-husband of a Hong Kong model whose gruesome murder was believed to have been plotted by her former father-in-law over her handling of a luxury flat, while divers will continue the search for missing body parts of the victim on Sunday morning.
Abby Choi Tin-fung’s ex-husband Alex Kwong was caught at Tung Chung Development Pier at about 1pm on Saturday, police said. Officers waited for the suspect to show up after they learned of his plan to board a speedboat.
He had HK$500,000 in cash and several luxury watches worth about HK$4 million in total with him when he was arrested. Kwong, 28, later complained of feeling unwell at Hung Hom Police Station and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei.
“We believe he was trying to abscond from Hong Kong by sea when he was arrested,” said Superintendent Alan Chung of the force’s Kowloon West regional headquarters.
Kwong’s brother and parents were arrested earlier. Police would not rule out further arrests.
The murder, said by police to have been “premeditated” and “well-planned”, came to light on Friday when officers found body parts of 28-year-old Choi – who went missing on Tuesday – in the ground-floor flat of a three-storey house in Tai Po’s Lung Mei Tsuen.
Police uncovered a meat grinder, electric saw and two pots containing human tissue on Friday, alongside two types of meat cleavers, a hammer, face shields, black raincoats and a purple handbag that belonged to Choi at the Tai Po flat. The suspects had covered the walls of the flat with a sail.
Two female legs were found in a fridge at the flat. The social media influencer’s head, torso and hands are still missing.
Ex-father-in-law of Hong Kong model and his eldest son charged with murder
A source told the Post the murder was believed to have been committed over a dispute between Choi, her jobless ex-husband and his family concerning a property worth tens of millions of dollars in the exclusive Kadoorie Hill area of Ho Man Tin.
It was believed Choi’s ex-father-in-law, a former police sergeant who left the force in 2005, was the mastermind behind the murder plot, the source said.
The former father-in-law rented the Tai Po house this month.
Divers from the force’s elite Special Duties Unit, the Flying Tigers, were deployed to carry out a search for missing body parts at a water catchment area at Tseung Kwan O cemetery on Saturday afternoon.
Police searched the area as their investigation indicated that the ex-father-in-law and brother-in-law went there on Wednesday, a day after Choi was reported missing.
About 100 officers including Flying Tigers officers and the Police Tactical Unit took part in the search at the cemetery, located on slopes from Yau Tong to Tseung Kwan O.
In addition to the deployment of a drone for an aerial search, police dogs were also used at the cemetery to see if they could detect traces of Choi.
Hong Kong’s horrific history of killing and dismemberment revisited
An abseiling team from the force searched cemetery slopes, while officers from the Police Tactical Unit checked the rows of graves. The search, without a breakthrough as night fell, will resume on Sunday morning.
An initial police investigation found that Choi had recently planned to sell the Kadoorie Hill property which she had bought in her ex-father-in-law’s name.
She had promised to resettle her former husband and his family members elsewhere, but the move sparked fierce opposition from the father-in-law who had several arguments with her, the source added.
The probe also found that Choi had not registered her marriage with her current husband, son of the founder of popular chain restaurant TamJai Yunnan Mixian, suggesting her assets would be inherited by her two children with Kwong.
It was understood that Kwong was arrested in February 2015 in connection with an investment scam that targeted young male users of dating apps. A police source said he was wanted after jumping bail in a fraud case.
A friend of Choi, who identified herself as Mrs Cheng, meanwhile, had offered a HK$1 million reward to track down Kwong before his arrest.
Cheng said Choi, whose family ran a successful construction business in mainland China, had never said a bad word about her former in-laws.
“She took great care of everyone, including her ex’s family,” Cheng told the Post.
Cheng explained the planned sale of the HK$70 million Kadoorie Hill property was purely an investment consideration, but the emergence of prospective buyers had appeared to enrage the former in-laws.
Cheng said Kwong contacted Choi’s mother-in-law to question why they had filed a police report about her being missing without his knowledge.
Chan Tin-sung, an indigenous inhabitant representing Lung Mei Tsuen, told the Post that he had no contact with the tenant or owner of the flat where the body parts were found, but said the home had three tenants in the past year.
“The flat was refurbished last year. I think it had switched owners then,” Chan said.
Chan, who lives down the road from the flat, said some villagers were disturbed by the grisly murder.
“Some have suggested we organise a Taoist ceremony to calm the spirit of the deceased, but another representative said we should respect the family of the deceased and contact them first,” said Chan, who is in his 70s. He added village representatives had not contacted Choi’s family yet.
An insider said her ex-brother-in-law, who worked as her chauffeur, drove to her home in Kadoorie Hill to meet her. The two were heading to pick up the daughter she had with her ex-husband.
The woman was reported missing after she did not collect the child. Choi also had a son with her former husband.
Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam
