Police yesterday said that they are making progress regarding an armed robbery last week at a mansion in Kaohsiung’s Niaosung District (鳥松), during which four people were tied up while the assailants ransacked the house.
The mansion belongs to the family of Kao Ying-shih (高英士), founder and former chairman of Eternal Materials Co (長興材料), one of the nation’s leading chemical suppliers for the electronics, biomedical and plastics industries.
Kao, who is in his 80s, was not home when the crime took place.
On Thursday afternoon, two masked assailants with handguns grabbed two gardeners working outside and forced their way into the home, said Chen Jung-hui (陳榮輝), an investigator assigned to the case.
Victims told police that, once inside, the assailants used tape to tie up the gardeners, as well as a caregiver and a masseur, Chen said, adding that they did not tie up Kao’s wife, who is bed-ridden, or the female housekeeper who was with her.
They allegedly proceeded to ransack the mansion, leaving on scooters after about 30 minutes.
About NT$100,000 in cash, and an unspecified amount of foreign currencies, diamonds, jewelry and several other valuable items were taken, as well as the host computer for the mansion’s surveillance system, Chen said.
“With footage from street surveillance cameras, traced the getaway route the assailants took and located the scooters in Kaohsiung,” Chen said. “One scooter belonged to one of the gardeners, as the assailants allegedly took his keys when leaving.”
It is believed another assailant was stationed outside as a look-out, and other people were involved in the plot, Chen said, adding that prosecutors have issued warrants for their arrest.
Police said it could be an inside job, or done by people who are familiar with the mansion’s layout.
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