The China Post staff
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), after a month of investigation, yesterday successfully apprehended seven suspects who allegedly swindled NT$730,000 from Lo Man-fei, the artistic director of Cloud Gate 2, a local dance theater.
After confirming the location of the suspects, the police dispatched three task forces and arrested them in various areas of Taichung City and County. More than NT$5 million in cash and 60 dummy bank accounts were confiscated by the police.
The police stated that most of the money garnered by the con artists was sent to China and laundered. Judging from the large amount of cash found, the crime ring must have victimized a great many people, the police pointed out.
The mastermind of the crime ring is located in China, said the police. The people arrested were underlings who did the dirty work for their boss. There are still three suspects at large in Taiwan, said the police.
One of the suspects, posing as an employee of the Financial Supervisory Commission, phoned Lo a month ago and informed her that she had become a victim of identity theft. The suspect then instructed Lo to transfer her money in the bank to a bank account in order to avoid further monetary loss.
Although Lo figured out that she had been tricked shortly after the phone call, all her savings in that account had been withdrawn.
The police, although managing to crack the case within a month, were criticized for prioritizing Lo's case because she is a public figure. CIB responded to the accusation by stating that Lo has received the same treatment as anybody else.
CIB noted that Lo's case was cracked with efficiency because the police have been monitoring the ring before she was victimized. It further indicated that it took months before sufficient evidence was gathered to indict the suspects.