HONG KONG: The distressing mystery surrounding the missing ashes of late Cantopop superstar Anita Mui has taken a dark turn.
On Oct 10, on what would have been the singer's 63rd birthday, her family and fan club revealed that her urn had been missing from Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island for nearly three months.
Devoted fans first noticed something was wrong in mid-July after spotting loose screws on her columbarium niche.
Although the Hong Kong Police's Regional Crime Unit is investigating, Mui's ashes are still nowhere to be found.
Local media reports now suggest the theft may be part of a series of targeted celebrity grave robberies carried out by a cross-border crime syndicate.
The gang allegedly targets famous figures before demanding massive ransoms from their grieving families.
Previous targets include martial arts legend Lau Kar-leung and film producer Jimmy Heung, whose remains were stolen from Po Fook Hill Columbarium.
The thieves even sent photos of the stolen urns to relatives to back up their demands.
Lau's widow, former actress Mary Jean Reimer, was asked for HK$60 million (about RM million) and warned her husband's ashes would be "flushed down the toilet" if she refused to pay.
Reimer firmly refused to give in to the blackmailers.
Police investigations show the gang worked with careful precision.
They chose stormy nights with heavy rain or severe typhoons to cover their tracks.
They reportedly cut through wire fences, turned off CCTV cameras, and used heavy tools to pry open the stone niches.
To buy time, the thieves neatly resealed the niches after taking the urns.
Several suspects linked to the earlier cases were eventually arrested, and both Lau and Heung's ashes were safely recovered in February.
But the syndicate's actions have left relatives of other late stars deeply worried.
Following these disturbing incidents, columbaria across Hong Kong have stepped up their security.
Venues such as Po Fook Hill—which holds the remains of entertainment icons like Leslie Cheung, Lydia Sum, Roman Tam, and actor Patrick Tse—have joined Po Lin Monastery in installing extra security cameras and stronger fencing to prevent any further thefts.
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