A Hong Kong woman has been accused of smuggling two Persian cats that she allegedly stole in Taiwan into the territory by hiding them under her clothing and pretending to be pregnant.
A cat breeder surnamed Chang (張) accused the woman surnamed Lee (李), 35, of breaking into her apartment in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽) on Feb. 5 and stealing the cats.
The cats, one male and one female, are worth a total of NT$360,000, Chang said.
She reported the incident to the New Taipei City Police Department’s Sansia Precinct, she added.
Security camera footage shows Lee entering Chang’s apartment at 4:36pm after cutting open a window screen with a box cutter, police said.
The footage also shows Lee leaving the apartment holding a bag with the cats in it, police said.
FLEW TO HONG KONG
Chang then got into a taxi and went straight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where she boarded a flight to Hong Kong, they said.
After Lee identified the cats in the footage as hers, police on Saturday transferred the case to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, they said.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported that airport security footage shows Lee walking past a departure gate with what appears to be a swollen belly.
Chang said Lee later apologized to her and returned the cats to a friend of hers in Hong Kong.
According to the Council of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, people importing a cat or dog without notifying the authorities could face a fine of between NT$20,000 and NT$100,000.
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