Life’s savings stolen in broad daylight

An Auckland pensioner is living off borrowed money after his life’s savings were robbed in broad daylight.

Qingzhai Lyu, 85, was tending to his vegetable garden when his mobile phone, passport and savings were taken from his Saint Johns home.

At around 4pm on October 31 Lyu returned to his unit from the garden and thought about calling a friend.

However, his mobile phone, left in the bedroom, was nowhere to be found.

He even asked a neighbour to come and help him search for it.

Lyu then realised his wallet was missing as well. In it were ANZ and ASB bank cards, as well as $210 cash, which he just withdrew from the bank on the morning as it was his pay day.

‘‘I found I left the door unlocked though it was closed,’’ Lyu says, adding that he didn’t report the theft to the police immediately because he thought it was ‘‘off-hours’’ for them.

The next day before he left to report the loss of the bank cards, he found his New Zealand passport was gone.

By using his old Chinese passport, he managed to get new cards from both banks.

He says he always withdraws money from the ANZ account which receives the pension, and puts it into the ASB, which he uses as a savings account.

What stunned him was there was only a few dollars left in his ASB account when he tried to pay for a new mobile phone at a Botany Town Centre store.

‘‘I felt very sad. It has never happened during my 11 years here in New Zealand,’’ Lyu says.

‘‘What shall I do? I don’t even have the money for food now.’’

ASB records show that on the day of the burglary theft a total of $1200 had been withdrawn from the account at two different times, while another $50 was spent at Mobil Swanson.

‘‘My pin number was my birthday date. They must have figured that out with my passport,’’ Lyu says.

He borrowed $400 from neighbours for daily expenses and a new phone, allowing him to keep in contact with friends, and family overseas.

Lyu came to New Zealand in 2007, later gaining residency as a refugee.

His wife passed away in China 12 years ago. He has three daughters living in Australia, a son in China, and an adopted daughter in the United States.