Three arrested after renovation firm sent white powder threats to catering group
Three people from a Kwun Tong renovation company were arrested on 9 October for sending over 30 threatening letters containing white powder and skull images to a catering group. The letters were linked to a financial dispute over renovation work worth more than HK$1 million.
Three people have been arrested after a renovation company allegedly sent more than 30 threatening letters containing suspicious white powder and skull images to a catering group over a financial dispute.
Two men in charge of the Kwun Tong-based company and a female employee, aged between 45 and 65, were arrested on 9 October on suspicion of criminal intimidation.
Police said they received reports from multiple recipients between 6 and 8 October after they received threatening letters. On 6 October, a restaurant and the catering group’s office in Tsim Sha Tsui each received a letter containing an A4 sheet printed with a skull and the word “poison”, as well as a packet of unidentified white powder. Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) bureau were deployed and confirmed the powder was harmless flour with no chemical, biological, or radioactive hazards and no risk of explosion.
Further reports came in over the following two days. Residents near the group’s Tseung Kwan O branch, staff at nearby shops and a restaurant partner also received the threatening letters. The bureau confirmed that the powder in these letters was also plain flour, bringing the total number sent to more than 30.
Police said their investigation linked the campaign to a financial dispute over renovation work worth more than HK$1 million at at least two of the catering group’s more than 10 branches. Investigators also found that the letters were connected to an alleged illegal debt-collection operation organized by the people in charge of the renovation company.
Officers raiding the company’s office on 9 October seized evidence including stamps, envelopes, a printer and computers. The three suspects have been released on bail pending further investigation. Police said further arrests have not been ruled out. Under Hong Kong law, criminal intimidation carries a maximum penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment upon conviction.