Kidnap victim's Eftpos card used

An Eftpos card stolen from kidnap victim Qing Zhao was used after she was released, police said this morning.

They are looking for a woman who was in Pakuranga when the card was used about 10 hours after she was dumped bound and gagged in South Auckland.

Mrs Zhao was taken from her home in Howick on Monday and released bound and gagged 20 hours later.

The card was used at 8.26am yesterday at a money machine in the Pakuranga town centre.

It was used several times but no money was taken because police had put a block on her accounts soon after she was kidnapped.

"It was done as one of the initial parts of the investigation, just a matter of course," Mr Grimstone said.

The money machine did not reveal how much the kidnappers tried to get but Mr Grimstone said there was a "considerable amount" of money in Mrs Zhao's account.

There was no security camera at the machine.

As soon the card was put in the machine police were alerted and went to the area but the person attempting to use the card had left.

Later inquiries revealed an Asian woman was in the immediate area when the card was used.

"This person has been seen by other people there or thereabouts and that is where we got the description from."

She was between 18 and 25 years old, thin and about 170mm tall. She had red streaks in her hair and wore a great deal of jewellery around her neck, said police.

- NZPA