Late Hong Kong real estate tycoon Chen Din-hwa’s luxury home at The Peak burgled
Daughter of the billionaire discovers safe and valuable pens stolen from home in the city’s wealthiest district
The daughter of Chen Din-hwa, the late founder of Nan Fung Group, became the latest victim in a string of high-profile break-ins after her luxury house on The Peak burgled on Thursday.
A safe and three Sheaffer pens were stolen from the master bedroom on the second floor of Bamboo Vista on Middle Gap Road, according to police.
It is understood the bedroom was vacated after the founder passed away in 2012 at age 89. The safe, measuring 60cm by 20cm, was located in a cabinet within the room.
“His family members were not sure what properties were stored in the safe, but the tenant believes there were no valuables in the safe,” a police source said.
Daughter, Angela Chen, 65, called police at about 12.30pm yesterday after a house worker found signs of ransacking in the second-floor bedroom.
Police said it was possible the thieves gained access to the bedroom by scaling the house’s surrounding wall and then entering through a bathroom window.
“We believe the burglar climbed up the house along drainpipes and prised open the toilet’s window to gain entry into the house, but then fled by climbing down from the bedroom’s balcony,” he said.
Officers mounted a search of the area, but no one has yet been arrested.
Chen Din-hwa, dubbed the “King of Cotton Yarn”, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2009.
Before his death in June 2012, Chen was ranked 464th on the Forbes list of wealthiest billionaires and 15th richest in Hong Kong alone, with net assets estimated at US$2.6 billion.
The Nan Fung Group did not comment on the case.
According to police, Thursday’s burglary was the only reported case on The Peak this month. Last month, four houses in Mount Kellet Road on The Peak were targeted by burglars.
Another source said police have stepped up patrols and will mount special operations in the district.
About two weeks ago, the luxury home of Hong Kong’s third richest man, Cheng Yu-tung, in Repulse Bay was burgled and several gold statues were stolen.
Despite the recent spate of break-ins, police figures show burglary reports declined six per cent to 1,206 in the first six months of this year.
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