Hong Kong police hunt 3 suspects over US$12 million gold theft

Hong Kong police have launched a manhunt for three people involved in a suspected deception case in which a shop reportedly lost 73kg of gold bars worth an estimated US$12 million, the South China Morning Post has learned.The force said on Friday that it had received a report from a woman in Hung Hom at around 2.57pm on Friday that a nearby shop was suspected to have been “burgled”. The woman said the shop owner had told her someone had stolen the gold bars before fleeing in a private vehicle.A source said the case involved a privately owned gold shop located in the Peninsula Square commercial building on Sung On Street.A former partner of the shop allegedly tricked the manager into handing over gold bars worth around US$12 million, the source said. The man then got into a black Tesla with his wife and a male driver and fled the scene.The force said that during the investigation, officers pulled over a white vehicle, but it was later determined to be unrelated to the case.The car was reportedly stopped near a toll plaza on the North Lantau Highway en route for the airport.