A Hong Kong heiress who in 2015 was abducted for a HK$28 million (£2.7 million) ransom said her kidnappers treated her kindly as she disclosed the details of the high-profile case for the first time.
Queenie Rosita Law, whose late grandfather built a billion-dollar fashion empire, was taken from her family’s luxurious villa by a ‘knife-wielding’ gang and kept in a cave for four days.
Ms Law said her kidnappers were civilised and they cared for her. She said they would make sure she had delicious food and comfortable clothes.
The 31-year-old also revealed how her business-savvy father haggled over the ransom with the kidnappers and eventually slashed the original fee, HK$58 million (£5.6 million), by half.
Queenie Rosita Law, the granddaughter of a late Hong Kong tycoon, disclosed the details her kidnapping in 2015 for the first time in a new book. Left, Ms Law attends the book launch of her new book ‘Dear Life’. Right, Ms Law attends a social event after the abduction in 2015
The Hong Kong heiress was taken by six abductors from her bedroom to a secluded cave. Pictured, a suspected member of the gang is taken through a crime scene reconstruction by Hong Kong police at a local market on May 5, in 2015
THE POWERFUL LAW FAMILY
Ms Law’s late grandfather, Law Ting-pong, founded popular fashion brand Bossini
Queenie Rosita Law is the granddaughter of the late tycoon Law Ting-pong, who founded fashion brand Bossini in 1987.
He died in August 1996 at the age of 86, leaving his family HK$1 billion ($130million).
Ms Law’s father is Raymond Law Ka-kui, who is the sixth son of Mr Ting-pong.
The family remains a significant presence in the management of the company.
According to the Ta Kung Pao, Law Ting Pong was a leading textile businessman, who set up the Lawsgroup in 1975 and then its first production facilities in China.
In 1987, it was listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange as Laws Fashion Knitters Ltd and in the same year, he created the Bossini brand.
Bossini has around 1,000 stores in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and India.
Born to a wealthy business family in Hong Kong, Ms Law is the granddaughter of Law Ting-pong, who was a textile tycoon and founder of Bossini, a popular fashion brand.
The Law family are the 27th richest family in Asia, with a combined net worth of £5 million ($6.5 billion), according to Forbes.
Ms Law, now a creative director, studied in Central Saint Martins and Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art, two top art institutions in Europe, and returned to Hong Kong to start her own business, Production Q, in 2014.
In a new book, called ‘Dear Life’, the Hong Kong socialite and entrepreneur disclosed the details of high-profile kidnapping for the very first time.
She said she was dragged out of her bed in the wee hours at her home in Sai Kung by a gang of six, who had knives in their hands.
At the time Ms Law’s boyfriend, who had yet to gain approval from Ms Law’s parents, was spending the night.
After confirming that Ms Law, not her boyfriend, lived in the house, the kidnappers took Ms Law, who was then 29, to a secluded cave on the Fei Ngo Shan mountain.
But before that, they agreed to let her put on her favourite trousers and comfortable flat shoes.
The kidnappers held Ms Law captive for four days in a tent.
During the time, instead of threatening her or abusing her, the kidnappers are said to have promised Ms Law that they would not to hurt her.
In her book, Ms Law said her abductors were civilised and cared for her. Left, a suspect is escorted by the police to carry out a crime scene reconstruction on May 5, 2015. Right, Ms Law attends a news conference in Hong Kong on April 30, 2015, two days after she was released
Ms Law said they made every effort to make sure she would have the food she liked. The heiress said she was given home-cooked rice and spare ribs, a hamburger as well as chicken nuggets from McDonald’s.
It’s said that the kidnapper who came to deliver meals to Ms Law would always check with her if she liked the food, and once even apologised to her because her dinner had gone cold.
More surprisingly, some members of the gang even asked Ms Law for advice on where they should escape after receiving the ransom.
After Ms Law’s father, Raymond Law Ka-kui, paid the ransom, Ms Law was released by the kidnappers and one of them told her ‘to run towards the light and never look back’. So she did.
Recalling the life-changing experience, Ms Law told MailOnline that the most memorable moment was when she saw herself in the mirror for the first time after being rescued.
Ms Law said: ‘Not only physically did I look like a different person, but I felt reborn psychologically because I was able to regain freedom.’
Ms Law said she did not relate herself to someone who has Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological condition which sees kidnapping victims becoming attached to their abductors.
She added: ‘Everything happened unpredictably, so I have no idea why [the kidnappers] were doing it.’
The 31-year-old, a creative director, has turned the details of her life-changing kidnapping into a new book, written in Chinese. Pictured, Ms Law attends the launch of her book in July
She said the abduction had changed her view on life. She now feels more assertive and focused in pursuing her passion.
‘I’m now more driven to be a better person and to work harder at achieving my goals since life is unpredictable and could change at any time,’ she said.
In the past two years, Ms Law has been working on a project called City Book. Ms Law said this was something she had always wanted to do.
Ms Law added that the project let her focus on what she enjoyed the most and therefore she could release all her stress and forget about the unpleasant past.
She said the abduction had become a distant memory for her.
All of the suspects in relation to Ms Law’s kidnapping have been arrested and jailed. The leader of the gang, You Dunkui, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while the others received prison sentences from 22 months to 13 years.
The majority of the HK$28 million ransom was recovered by the police.