A millions of dollars worth of calligraphy scrolls belonging to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong have been recovered after being stolen in Hong Kong last month, police say. The scroll was found in a damaged condition when police arrested a 49-year-old man in late September on suspicion of trading in stolen goods, the South China Morning Post reported. A buyer who bought it for HK 500 ($ 75) cut it in half. He suspected it was fake.
At a news conference, Senior Superintendent of Police Tony Ho said, “According to our investigation, someone thought the scroll was too long, it was a hassle to show or display, so it was cut in the middle.
In September, three thieves stole the scroll from the home of collector Fu Chunsiao, police said. Fu, who is well-known for collecting stamps and artefacts, was on mainland China at the time of the theft and has not been in Hong Kong since January due to the coronavirus epidemic.
24,000 Chinese stamps, 10 coins and seven calligraphy scrolls were stolen from Fu's home.
Fu estimates that Mao's calligraphy is worth about 300 million and that the total assets stolen are about 845 million.
Senior police superintendent Tony Ho said police have arrested three people on charges of theft and on suspicion of assisting criminals.
Police said that although some stolen items were found, there were still 24,000 stamps and six calligraphy scrolls.