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HONG KONG: A stolen scroll of poetry written by Mao Zedong and valued at hundreds of millions of dollars was recovered, Hong Kong police said on Wednesday (October 7), but not before it was cut in half.
Officials said someone handling the stolen artifact had cut it off after considering it “too difficult to display.”
The calligraphy scroll, worth an estimated $ 300 million, was the most valuable item obtained in a blatant robbery last month of the Hong Kong apartment of Chinese collector Fu Chunxiao.
The gang of three seized a hoard of treasures worth, according to Fu, roughly HK $ 5 billion (US $ 645 million) that included ancient stamps and revolutionary items from mainland China in what is believed to be the biggest heist of the the city by value.
On Wednesday, the police announced that they had recovered Mao’s scroll and two bronze coins. But the scroll had suffered devastating damage.
“Someone claimed that (the scroll) was too difficult to display because it was too long, so it was cut in half,” Superintendent Tony Ho told reporters.
Police said one person was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen property, another for theft and a third for helping a criminal.
The robbery itself was remarkably simple.
The thieves entered the 16-story residential building, opened an iron door and went through a wooden door to enter the apartment, before fleeing the same route with the goods, police said at the time.
Investigators on Wednesday said previous public information appeals had helped them locate a taxi driver who helped them identify suspects and key locations.
Police believe they have identified the remaining two thieves, who are currently at large.
