Asian family specifically targeted in home invasion, police say

An Asian family held hostage in their Howick home at gunpoint after three men forced their way in were specifically targeted by the intruders, police believe.

The three men, who posed as policemen, are on the run after the apparent hostage drama in east Auckland on Sunday morning.

Police chased two cars leaving an address in Highland Park, Howick, 22km east of downtown Auckland, about 6.45am.

One car was stopped and a driver was spoken to by police but was not arrested.

Three people fled from the second car after it spun out of control.

Six people were found tied up when police returned to the Highland Park address. One of the people suffered moderate injuries.

A police spokeswoman said the attack on the family was not random and the community at large was not at risk of any further attacks.

There was no pattern of similar attacks happening in Howick, she said.

The most recent case of kidnappers targeting an Asian family was in March 2005 when three men were charged with the kidnapping of Chinese woman Qing Zhao from her Howick home, she said.

Ms Zhao was still bound and gagged when dumped 20 hours later .

However, the two incidents were completely different and could not be compared, she said.

The spokeswoman said the investigation - called Operation Highland - was focused on retrieving the clothing and other items the men dropped while escaping.

As police chased the men, they stripped off as they ran away and members of the public were asked to be aware of any "unusual items of clothing" they might find in the area.

The men had been wearing dark clothing and helmets, similar to motorbike helmets and had identified themselves as police, before forcing their way into the house, she said.

The dark clothing and bodygear, though not similar to a police uniform, was believed to have been intended to give the impression of belonging to the police, she said.

The family was shaken and it was not known if they intended to return to their home, she said.

Police did not want to comment further as they did not want to jeopardise the case.

- NZPA