Hunt for kidnappers scaled up

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 1

Hunt for kidnappers scaled up

It might be “a long, hard slog" to find the kidnappers of Gloria Kong, but they would be found, said the officer leading the inquiry, Detective Inspector Neville Stokes, yesterday. “We are still confident of success," said Mr Stokes from the police operations centre in Oamaru. After five days of intensive inquiries, the police yesterday scaled the hunt up rather than down. Ten detectives were flown to Oamaru from Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, and Invercargill, bringing the number of police working on the case to 45. A special telephone “hotline” to the operations centre had indeed been “red hot” since it was opened at 6 a.m. yesterday, said Sergeant Joe Franklin. Anyone who calls Oamaru 49-999 with any information which might help the police find the four kidnappers or the house where the girl was held, will be guaranteed anonymity or confidentiality, or both. A special Post Office box, No. 50 Oamaru, has also been opened by the police .for anyone who may wish to pass on information in confidence.

Mr Stokes said he was delighted with the response from the public. While the information received in the big number of calls so far had not led detectives to either the kidnappers or the house, it had been “extremely useful" in helping to eliminate possible suspects, properties, and vehicles. The “Oamaru Mail" newspaper and three local businesses have offered a $2OOO reward for information leading the police to the building where Gloria Kong was held captive The reward offer has drawn interest from Christchurch, where a businessman has offered a further $5OO from his firm to add to the fund. “I think this sort of thing does not and should not happen very often, and I want to do something to help,” said Mr G. Sluis, the managing director of Mechanical Handling 5.1., Ltd. The editor of the “Oamaru Mail,” Mr Peter Nicholas, said he would have to talk to the other businesses involved before he could accept the offer.