Hong Kong woman rescued from car after 15km police chase, 6 suspected triad members arrested over abduction case
- Suspect allegedly assaulted woman before dragging her into car, source familiar with case says
- Passing motorist called police and followed vehicle with victim before arrival of officers
Hong Kong police have rescued a woman who was allegedly dragged into a car and abducted after a money dispute, with officers arresting six suspected triad members after a 15km (9.3 miles) chase came to a halt at a roadblock in the New Territories.
A source familiar with the case on Tuesday revealed that a preliminary investigation suggested that a money dispute over alleged drug transactions was behind the unlawful detention incident in Yuen Long the night before.
The 23-year-old woman was believed to have obtained illegal drugs worth about HK$37,000 (US$4,720) from the Wo Shing Wo triad group but had failed to pay them, the insider said.
The woman was assaulted and abducted at around 11.15pm on Monday after she met members of the gang on Fook Fong Street.
“It is alleged that one of the suspects assaulted the woman with his hands and then dragged her into the car before it sped away, heading towards Sheung Shui,” the source said.
A passing motorist who saw the incident called police and followed the car for a while before officers arrived at the scene.
According to the force, officers gave chase before the Toyota Estima was intercepted at a police roadblock at a roundabout in Sheung Shui around midnight.
Police rescued the 23-year-old and arrested five men and a woman who were inside the vehicle.
The victim suffered minor head injuries and was taken to North District Hospital in Sheung Shui for treatment.
The six suspects, aged from 26 to 46, were detained on suspicion of unlawful detention. They were still in police custody as of Tuesday morning.
Detectives from the Tai Po criminal investigation unit are handling the case.
The source said officers were also investigating the alleged drugs exchange and the gang.
Police handled 592 reports of serious drug offences between January and June this year.
