Injured Hong Kong delivery driver recovers HK$12 million in suspected rhodium powder after ambush by robbers
- Police say man, 52, was transporting items when white car hit his vehicle in Sheung Shui and gang of four robbers attacked him and stole valuable metal
- Driver pursued gang despite suffering head injuries, recovering backpack containing 10 containers holding 10kg of powdered substance believed to be rhodium
Police said the 52-year-old man was transporting the valuable cargo and passing through a car park of the Woodland Crest residential estate off Tin Ping Road when a white vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit the delivery vehicle at around 5.30pm.
A gang of four masked men with knives and metal pipes rushed out of the white car and attacked the driver, before grabbing a backpack containing 10 containers holding 10kg (22lbs) of a powdered substance believed to be rhodium, they said.
The gang abandoned their vehicle and left the scene on foot, with the delivery man pursuing them despite sustaining head injuries.
The gang then discarded the stolen items during the pursuit.
The robbery was captured on a dashcam, which shows one of the men fleeing the scene with some items in his hands.
Paramedics arrived shortly after the incident and brought the delivery driver to North District Hospital for treatment.
The New Territories North regional crime unit is investigating the case.
Rhodium is a rare element from the platinum group that exhibits exceptional resistance to corrosion and has a melting point of 1,963 degrees Celsius (3,565 Fahrenheit), the highest among all metals.
It is commonly used as a catalytic converter in vehicles to reduce toxic emissions, as well as the production of high-end jewellery, laboratory equipment and electrical components.
The price of rhodium currently exceeds US$155,000 per kilogram, making it the most expensive metal in the world.
