Police seek ATM-user in abduction case

Police hunting the trio of men who kidnapped Qing Zhao from her Howick home in the early hours of Monday are looking for someone who tried to use her cash card the following day.

An Asian woman with distinctive red streaks in her hair is thought to have tried to withdraw cash from a cash machine in the Westfield Shopping Town at 8.26am on Tuesday.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said the woman might have entered the shopping centre through a restricted area as the main doors did not open until 8.30am.

The person attempted to withdraw cash using a PIN number that Qing Zhao had been forced at gunpoint to give her kidnappers.

However, her accounts had been blocked by police and they were alerted by the bank when the card was used.

Witnesses who saw the woman in the area of the cash machine described her as thin, aged between 18 and 25 and wearing a lot of jewellery around her neck.

He said the ATM was not covered by a security camera, unlike many other cash machines, which may have been why it was chosen.

The kidnappers might have felt "short-changed" because they did not get away with much in terms of cash and valuables from the house in Bleakhouse Rd, said Mr Grimstone.

"Clearly they're desperate people driven by greed and they'll go to any lengths to get these people's cash.

"Here they are trying to negotiate the cards when they know the police are well and truly involved and we're actively hunting the kidnappers ... and we'd have all sorts of checks and balances in place if they were to try such a stunt."

He said the woman might be the partner of one of the kidnappers. They were described as three Asian men who spoke Mandarin. Qing Zhao and her parents were at home when the men broke into the house after cutting power and entering with torches.

Police planned to go through the family home with Qing Zhao and her husband in the next few days to identify any missing items.