Woman arrested in gruesome killing of model

In this photo released by Hong Kong’s Information Services Department, Hong Kong police escort a suspect at the Shenzhen Bay Port border crossing in Hong Kong, yesterday

A woman accused of assisting a suspect in the gruesome killing and dismemberment of model Abby Choi in Hong Kong has been arrested in mainland China, Hong Kong police said yesterday.

The arrest of the 29-year-old woman brought the total number of people allegedly involved in the case to seven. Police said they suspect she assisted another suspect and then fled to mainland China. She was handed over to Hong Kong authorities at Shenzhen Bay Port yesterday, they said.

The grisly killing of Choi, 28, has gripped many in Hong Kong and in mainland China because the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has a very low level of violent crime.

Last week, her ex-husband, Alex Kwong, his father, Kwong Kau, and his brother, Anthony Kwong, were charged with murder after police found body remains in a house rented by Kwong Kau in a suburban area of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China. Alex Kwong’s mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. All four were detained without bail.

Police also arrested two others accused of assisting other suspects in the case.

Choi, who had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, disappeared Feb. 21, according to a report filed later with police.

She had financial disputes involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family, police said earlier, adding that “some people” were unhappy with how Choi handled her finances.

While violent crime is rare in Hong Kong, the case recalls a handful of other shocking killings. In 2013, a man killed his parents, and their heads were later found in refrigerators. In 1999, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members of an organized crime group before her death. Her skull was later found stuffed in a Hello Kitty doll. KANIS LEUNG, HONG KONG, MDT/AP