Kidnap suspect may seek false passport, police say

Xiang Quan Chen

The criminal underworld may be asked to provide a kidnap suspect with a false passport so he can flee the country, say police.

The man, described by police as "desperate and dangerous" is wanted over the kidnapping of Chinese woman, Qing (Kelly) Zhao from her home in the east Auckland suburb of Howick last week.

Three kidnappers, one armed with a pistol and one with a knife, burst into her home at 2.15am on March 7 and took her in her own car.

They demanded $1m in ransom but police believe they lost their nerve under pressure and dumped her, still gagged, bound and blindfolded, in Onehunga 20 hours later. She was unhurt and no ransom was paid.

Xiang Quan Chen, 28, the man named by police as a suspect, is believed to still be in Auckland but police said today if he decided to leave the country to avoid police, it would not be with his own passport.

"We certainly believe he is still in Auckland," acting Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said.

He said providing a false passport was a serious offence.

Police had alerts at airports and ports and were putting the heat on the criminal underworld in their hunt for Chen in the hope someone would make the call police needed to crack the case.

"We have been speaking to people in that scene and they are not liking the attention they are getting so hopefully, that will bear some fruit in due course."

Mr Grimstone said the language barrier was a difficulty.

"Whenever we are talking to people who might have been there or thereabouts, they use the language thing as a shield. They stand behind the 'I don't understand' situation.

Police were still trying to identify the other two men at the house and an Asian woman with red streaks in her hair who tried to use Mrs Zhao's stolen credit card at a money machine in Pakuranga about 10 hours after she was dumped in Otahuhu.

Information can be given to police on 0800 KIDNAP (0800 543 627).

- NZPA