HONG KONG: Guangdong Crime Fighter Says Mok Chun-yin Let Guard Down After Fleeing To Shenzhen

The prime suspect at the centre of the 2013 killing of his flight attendant ex-girlfriend in Hong Kong lowered his guard after fleeing to Shenzhen and was tracked down within a day, according to a top Guangdong crime fighter.

Murder suspect Mok Chun-yin, 29, was handed over by mainland officers to their Hong Kong counterparts on Wednesday afternoon after spending three years on the run. He was arrested in Shenzhen in late October.

Hong Kong police confirmed in a statement that Mok was handed over at the Huanggang-Lok Ma Chau border crossing point.
“The surrender ceremony today demonstrates the spirit of cooperation in law enforcement [by the forces] of the two places.

It also sends a solemn and unequivocal message to the public that police from the two places are determined to combat crime and protect lives and property,” assistant police commissioner Chung Siu-yeung said at the handover ceremony.

The Hong Kong police asked for help from the mainland Public Security Bureau and its Guangdong provincial bureau in October last year.

Guangdong police found Mok was originally a Shenzhen resident and still had family and friends in the northeastern Longgang district, said Liang Ruiguo, deputy chief of criminal investigation with the Guangdong Public Security Bureau.

“After a few years, Mok let down his guard and left some clues. We only used one day to track him down and located a few places where he was staying,” Liang said.

On Wednesday night, Tsuen Wan assistant district commander for crime Neil Chan Tat-ming said Mok had never left Shenzhen while he was in hiding and had been materially supported by friends.

The suspect was seized on the evening of October 29 at a hair salon in Longgang and transferred to a detention centre, where he was kept until he was handed over to Hong Kong police.

His personal belongings, including a pair of shoes, some clothing, his glasses, 700 yuan (HK$790) in cash and his identity card were given to Hong Kong police.

The former estate agent, who was 25 at the time of the crime, fled the city just over three years ago. His ex-girlfriend’s body was discovered on December 8, 2013.

Dragonair stewardess Arbe Chan Man-yi, 26, had not been in contact with her family for days. She was eventually found dead in her home wardrobe under a pile of clothes by her father and younger sister.

She had abrasions on her neck, right elbow and knees, police reports said.

Detectives said she was strangled and died four days earlier, on December 4.

The violent nature of the crime prompted police to offer a HK$300,000 reward for information leading to Mok’s arrest. Detectives named him the “prime suspect” in the case.

Mok had a history of violence towards Chan. In one incident, she called police saying her boyfriend had beaten her. Mok was charged and placed on a good behaviour bond by Tuen Mun Court.

Posts on Chan’s Facebook page indicated she had suffered from emotional problems because of Mok. The couple met in 2012, but their relationship soured in the middle of 2013, and she wanted to break up with him and recover money he owed her.