Four held over killing of model in HK

Four people have been arrested over the killing of 28-year-old Hong Kong model Abby Choi Tin-fung, including her former father-in-law and former brother-in-law from her first marriage, both of whom were charged with murder on Sunday.

The case is believed by police to have arisen from a dispute over money with her former parents-in-law over a luxury flat. Dismembered body parts of the high-profile social media influencer were found at a village house on Friday and over the weekend. Police officers have also searched for remaining parts in a cemetery.

Police suspect the killing was plotted by her former father-in-law. Choi's former mother-in-law has been charged with perverting the course of justice. The three suspects, aged 31 to 65, were arrested on Friday and they will be brought before the Kowloon City Magistrates Court on Monday morning.

The fourth suspect, Choi's former husband, was arrested at Tung Chung Pier on Saturday afternoon while waiting for a speedboat to escape the city, according to the police. He was found carrying a large amount of cash and several luxury watches and is being detained for further inquiries.

After her first marriage ended in divorce, Choi remarried in 2016 to the son of the founder of TamJai Yunnan Mixian, a popular chain restaurant in Hong Kong.

In a statement on Saturday, police said Choi was reported missing on Feb 22 after she was last seen near Kadoorie Hill in Kowloon the previous afternoon.

After an initial investigation, police found body parts believed to belong to the victim inside a unit in Lung Mei village in Tai Po on Friday afternoon. Some tools suspected in connection with the case were also seized.

Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said he believed the killing had been "well-plotted", saying that the house had been carefully prepared to allow Choi's body to be dismembered discretely.

He added that Choi's ex-husband's brother and parents gave police false and misleading information to hinder the investigation.

Over the weekend, about 100 officers participated in a search of a cemetery in Tseung Kwan O, where the suspects were seen on Feb 22.Police also dispatched divers to search a catchment pool and a drone and tracking dogs were also deployed.

Wang Zhan contributed to this story.