Police yesterday arrested a suspect, Wang Chin-chan (
"Wang likely committed the poisoning, but we need time to question him and to gather more evidence before we announce a close to this criminal case," National Police Agency Director-General Shieh Ing-dan (
Police said that after they checked about 2,000 video monitors, they found a recording of a suspicious car -- complete with plate number -- that was at a pharmacy which stocked poisoned Paolyta B.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Police discovered that the blue car was a rental, and after visiting a rental company in Taichung, police identified the suspect as Wang, who lived in Taipei County.
Police said they found Wang used his cellphone to make some phone calls from the area near Taichung train station on May 17.
The time and location both matched the time and location that the poisoner tampered with the beverages at convenience stores and the pharmacy, the police said.
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Police added that they were confident that Wang committed the crime.
Officials said they believed Wang committed the crime on May 17 and returned the rental car on May 18. On May 19, Wang left for China, returning to Taiwan on May 24.
The authorities tracked him back to his home in Taipei County, and arrested him yesterday afternoon at his residence.
Wang robbed a bank at CKS International Airport in 1993. He stole more than NT$5 million from the bank, but was arrested 8 days later.
In the same year Wang was sentenced to a 10-year prison term, and was released from jail in 2003.
Police said Wang, 40 and single, worked for Catholic Cardinal Tien Hospital in Taipei County as a driver after leaving jail, but that he had quit the job.
Wang's former co-workers yesterday told reporters that he was an honest and quiet man, and that he never caused trouble when he worked for the hospital.
They said Wang had told them he left the job to go into business with his brother.
Paolyta Co yesterday said it was pleased to hear that the poisoner was found. The company said Bullwild and Paolyta B would be sold with new packages as soon as police announced they had solved the poisonings.
Police yesterday afternoon took Wang to a Taichung police station and questioned him there.
Police also suspect there was an accomplice, and said they were still trying to establish the suspect's motives.
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