HONG KONG — The tragic death of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has attracted worldwide media attention over the past week, as four of her former in-laws were remanded in custody without bail on Monday (Feb 27) in connection with her murder.

Almost a week after the model was reported missing, police continue to search for the last of Choi’s missing remains. The force on Sunday discovered a skull and several ribs believed to belong to the victim inside a large soup pot from a village house in Tai Po.

A source earlier said the murder was believed to be linked to a dispute between Choi, her jobless ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi and his family over a property worth tens of millions of dollars in the exclusive Kadoorie Hill neighbourhood in Ho Man Tin.

A police probe showed the 28-year-old socialite, who later married the son of a popular chain restaurant founder, had planned to sell the property, which she had bought under the name of her former father-in-law.

Despite promising to resettle her ex-husband and his family elsewhere, the decision was said to have sparked fierce opposition from her ex-father-in-law, who had several arguments with her.

The Post charts the period leading up to Choi’s death and the days that followed.

SUSPECT RENTS VILLAGE HOUSE IN EARLY FEBRUARY 

Kwong Kau, Choi’s former father-in-law and an ex-police officer, who is suspected of being the murder’s mastermind, rented the village house in Lung Mei Tsuen. A typical 500 sq ft unit in the area is around HK$10,000 (US$1,719) per month.

VICTIM IS REPORTED MISSING ON FEB 21 

According to a police insider, Choi’s chauffeur and former brother-in-law Anthony Kwong Kong-kit was believed to have driven to Kadoorie Hill to meet the model and they were supposed to travel to pick up her and her ex-husband’s daughter.

But the socialite was reported missing last Tuesday when she failed to show up and collect the child.

Upon receiving the missing person’s report, the force contacted the brother and parents of Choi’s ex-husband. But their inquiries were hindered as all three provided false and misleading statements, police said.

SUSPECTS HEAD TO TSEUNG KWAN O CEMETARY ON FEB 22 

A police investigation later indicated the victim’s former father-in-law and brother-in-law travelled to Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery.

POLICE DISCOVER SOME OF CHOI's REMAINS ON FEB 24

Officers discover several of the victim’s remains at the village house’s ground-floor flat, which had been carefully prepared as a site for cutting up the body before the pieces were disposed of.

The walls of the sparsely furnished flat were also covered with a sail, the force said.

Police also uncovered a meat grinder, an electric saw and two pots of soup containing human tissue, alongside two types of choppers, a hammer, face shields, black raincoats and a purple handbag that belonged to Choi.

Legs believed to be the victim’s were found inside the refrigerator, but her head, torso and hands were still missing at the time.

The force arrested Choi’s ex-brother-in-law and the former parents-in-laws, but continued to search for her 28-year-old former husband.

EX-HUSBAND ARRESTED IN TUNG CHUNG ON FEB 25

Police arrested Choi’s ex-husband at Tung Chung Development Pier at about 1pm on Saturday after learning of his plan to board a speedboat.

The suspect is picked up with HK$500,000 in cash and several luxury watches collectively worth about HK$4 million in total. While at Hung Hom Police Station, he complained of feeling unwell and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

On the same day, the force searched Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery, with members of its abseiling team and police dogs for the rest of Choi’s missing body parts.

Members of the police’s elite Special Duties Unit, the Flying Tigers, are also deployed to carry out a search of the site’s water catchment area.

MORE SUSPECTED REMAINS FOUND ON FEB 26

A skull and several ribs, believed to be Choi’s, were found on Sunday in a large soup pot taken to a mortuary from the village house crime scene.

The 50cm-deep pot, covered with thick fat, was found to contain meat believed to be human flesh along with some radishes and carrots, while human bones were also discovered in a separate, smaller container.

Forensic experts also found a 6.5cm by 5.5cm hole at the back of the skull. Police suspect it could have been the blow that killed Choi, with blood spatters in a seven-seater vehicle suggesting she was attacked there.

Choi’s former husband, his father and older brother were charged with murder on the same day, while his mother Jenny Li Sui-heung, said to be aware of the plot, was charged with perverting the course of justice.

In a separate development, a fifth suspect, believed to be the lover of Choi’s former father-in-law, is arrested and accused of helping him to rent the ground-floor flat of the village house.

The woman surnamed Ng, who works as a masseuse and had been in a relationship with the father-in-law for about six months, was also suspected of renting a luxury flat in West Kowloon to help hide Choi’s ex-husband. Such locations usually go for between HK$24,000 and HK$58,000, subject to size.

FOUR SUSPECTS APPEAR IN COURT ON FEB 27

Choi’s former husband, brother and parents-in-law were all remanded in jail without bail after appearing before a court on Monday on charges of murder and perverting the course of justice. SCMP