Wellington – New Zealand police appealed Monday to the couple who flew to Hong Kong after a bank mistakenly gave them a 10- million-New-Zealand-dollar (6.1-million-US-dollar) overdraft to return home before they spend all their ill-gotten gains.
A police statement said the Chinese government was being formally asked to arrest Leo Gao, 29, and his girlfriend, Kara Mary Jo Hurring, 30, who is also known by the surname Yang. They left the country with 3.8 million New Zealand dollars belonging to the Westpac Bank.
Gao, part owner of a struggling auto service station in Rotorua, was mistakenly given access to 10 million New Zealand dollars when the bank was formalizing a temporary overdraft of 100,000 dollars.
He tried to withdraw 6.7 million dollars but the bank blocked access to 2.9 million, leaving him with 3.8 million.
“We are well aware of the events that have been associated with this opportunistic offending,” Detective David Harvey said. “This pair still have families in New Zealand and at some stage they may want to return to see them.
“I would suggest that they take the opportunity to return to this country to resolve this matter before the outstanding sum of up to 3.8 million dollars is spent.”
Harvey said a family member who was travelling with them returned to Auckland from Hong Kong at lunchtime Monday and was speaking to police.
This is thought to be Aroha Hurring, 22, a sister of Kara.
“I urge the pair to reflect on the consequences of what they are doing and make arrangements to come back to New Zealand,” Harvey said.(dpa)
