HONG KONG — Hong Kong police have arrested a man in connection with the suspected theft of urns from a columbarium in Sha Tin, after the ashes of renowned kung fu master Lau Kar-leung were reported missing.

SCMP reported that the investigation, led by the organised crime and triad bureau, was launched following revelations by Mary Jean Reimer, Lau’s widow, regarding the disappearance of her late husband’s remains.

A police source confirmed that legal proceedings have already commenced against the arrested individual.

The case came to light after Reimer disclosed the theft in a video on her YouTube channel, stating she believed the incident occurred between May and August this year.

She recounted being notified by a staff member at Po Fook Hill columbarium in late August, initially suspecting a scam until police confirmed details about the urns’ appearance.

According to Reimer, police had obtained photographs of the stolen urns, and she was asked if she would pay a ransom, which she refused.

When the compartments that once held Lau’s urns were opened for inspection, only the cloths that had covered the urns and a funeral pamphlet remained.

Reimer also claimed that other families had been affected and that police indicated the chances of recovering Lau’s ashes were low.

A spokeswoman for Po Fook Hill, surnamed Li, confirmed that the columbarium had received reports of urn thefts from individual clients and had reported the matter to police.

She declined to specify how many urns were involved but stated that the facility was cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation.