Hong Kong actress Elvina Kong loses HK$160,000 in cash and valuables after home burgled for fifth time
The home of a Hong Kong actress has been broken into for a fifth time, with the burglar making off with HK$160,000 (US$20,500) in cash and valuables despite a security system being installed after the previous cases.
Officers were sent to TVB actress and presenter Elvina Kong Yan-yin's home in Tsuen Wan early on Sunday, and found a patio door had been pried open and signs of ransacking on the premises. Kong, 56, was not home at the time.
A source familiar with the case said two gold necklaces, three pairs of jade and diamond earrings and a diamond ring were stolen, worth HK$133,000 in total. As well as the jewellery, HK$4,500, US$400 and 20,000 yuan (US$2,800) in cash was taken.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
The insider said the owner had left home at 9pm on Saturday and her mother had locked all the doors and windows.
The victim dismissed the first alert sent to her mobile phone from her home's security system as her domestic helper was expected to return from the Philippines.
However, the victim received a second alert at 11.30pm and contacted her helper, realising she had not yet arrived home.
Kong said her house - at Vista Del Mar on Castle Peak Road, Ting Kau - was equipped with an alert system connected to a security company but she did not keep her guard up due to a few false alarms in some locations at her home.
"A few days ago, there were false alarm situations, so I didn't pay much attention. But then, half an hour later, there was an alarm at the garden gate. I was informed and started to feel afraid," Kong told free-to-air broadcaster TVB.
The source said the burglar was suspected to have accessed the house by crossing slopes at Tuen Mun Road and climbing onto the patio by a water pipe, The burglar then gained entry by prying open the living room door and left using the same route.
Kong said she had installed a security system a few years ago after experiencing four burglaries.
"The biggest advantage [of the system] is that it makes a noise. At least it's loud enough to serve as a deterrent. But to be honest, I feel quite helpless due to the challenges of living in an outskirts area near the mountains," the actress said.
"My sister even suggests that the best way to prevent burglaries is to move. However, this house holds sentimental value as it is our ancestral home, and I have been living here for a long time. I don't want to surrender to criminal forces."
Kong entered show business after participating in the New Talent Singing Contest in 1985, where she reached the final.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
