Police probe theft of HK$8 million in luxury wines, other items from seaside home

Source says 53-year-old local businesswoman reported break-in at Mayfair By The Sea after returning from trip to mainland China

Hong Kong police are investigating a burglary at a seaside luxury house in Tai Po, where a businesswoman lost an estimated HK$8 million (US$1.02 million) worth of premium wines, Mao-tai liquor and vintage tea leaves, the South China Morning Post has learned.

A source on Thursday said that the victim, a 53-year-old local businesswoman, reported the break-in at around 5.47pm on Wednesday after returning from a trip to mainland China.

The insider said the woman had left her home at the Mayfair By The Sea premium estate in Pak Shek Kok last Friday evening, but found the back door of the detached house had been forced open when she returned on Wednesday afternoon.

The source said the intruders had ransacked the property, leaving items scattered across the ground and first floors.

The victim told police that a collection of premium wines, Mao-tai liquor and vintage tea leaves, valued at about HK$8 million, had been stolen.

“The house was equipped with a closed-circuit television system, but the perpetrators deliberately damaged it to destroy evidence,” the source said. “The estate’s main security cameras did not cover the specific perimeter of the victim’s flat.”