Moment thieves steal Chinese takeaway's 'lucky' money tree before fleeing in getaway car

By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:50, 6 May 2026 | Updated: 19:50, 6 May 2026 A thief has been filmed walking into a Chinese takeaway and stealing a 'lucky' money tree before making off in a getaway car. The money tree had been given to the owner of Bill's Kitchen in Chatham, Kent, by her father when she took over the business 15 years ago. Hongyan Zhu said she and her team were working in the kitchen at the time of the theft on Monday evening and did not hear anything. A money tree, also known as Pachira aquatica, is a popular houseplant often associated with good luck and prosperity. It is commonly kept in homes and businesses, particularly in Chinese culture, as a symbol of wealth and fortune. The footage recorded shows a woman entering the restaurant and walking towards the plant before gesturing with another woman outside sat in a parked car. Another man then enters, takes the plant and heads back to the car along with the woman already inside the restaurant. 'Three people arrived in a dark blue car. One woman came in first and looked around,' Ms Zhu said.  The footage recorded shows a woman entering the restaurant to inspect the monkey tree before another man then enters and takes the plant The man heads back to the car along with the woman already inside the restaurant He loads the monkey tree into the car while Hongyan Zhu and her team were working in the kitchen 'Then a man came in, picked up my money tree, and walked straight out. 'They put it into the car and all left together. 'The whole thing only took a few minutes. We were busy in the kitchen, so we didn't hear anything. They didn't order anything - they just came in, took the plant, and left.' Ms Zhu, who has reported the incident to the police, says the money tree held deep personal value. 'This plant has been there since I took over the shop. It was a special opening gift from my father, wishing us good fortune,' she said. 'I've taken great care of it over the years. It's very hard for me to accept.' 'I just hope the person will return it, because its value cannot really be measured.' The Daily Mail has approached Kent Police for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.