Latvian Andrejs Peregudovs and two Romanians suspected of involvement in an automated teller machine (ATM) heist of more than NT$83 million (US$2.6 million) earlier this month were arrested in Yilan County and Taipei yesterday, police said.
Peregudovs was wanted by authorities as a key suspect in a criminal ring of more than 10 members that allegedly stole NT$83.27 million from 41 First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) ATMs in Taipei and Taichung on July 9 and July 10.
Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officials yesterday raided the Grand Victoria Hotel (維多麗亞酒店) in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直)area where the two Romanian suspects were staying and found three suitcases containing bundles of cash that police believe could be connected to the heist.
As of press time last night, police had counted about NT$45 million in banknotes.
Taipei City Police officials said they also took a Taiwanese woman into custody, reportedly Peregudovs’ girlfriend, who is a suspected accomplice to the crime.
Police said she might have helped the Latvian and the two Romanian suspects book hotel rooms and hide.
CIB investigators said they had the two Romanian suspects under surveillance for a few days, and only moved in after the key suspect, Peregudovs, was arrested in Yilan yesterday at about 4:30pm.
Peregudovs was yesterday evening transferred to Taipei for questioning by a police task force established for the case, after Yilan police searched a bed-and-breakfast where he was staying.
Officials credited an observant off-duty Taipei police officer heading to his family home in Yilan County for spotting a man resembling Peregudovs having lunch at a restaurant in Yilan’s Dongao (東澳) earlier yesterday.
The off-duty officer called local police and followed Peregudovs as the suspect rode off on a bicycle wearing a backpack after finishing lunch.
Yilan police tracked him down on the Suao-Hualien Highway and took him into custody.
The man at first refused to give his identity and said he had nothing to do with the ATM heist, police said.
However, using fingerprints, photographs and other evidence, police were able to identify Peregudovs and began preliminary questioning regarding his suspected involvement in the case.
Additional reporting by CNA
Malaysian authorities have advised women to wear makeup, not to nag their husbands and speak with a cartoon character’s soothing voice during the virus lockdown, sparking a flood of mockery online. Like many countries, Malaysia has ordered all citizens to stay at home to stem the spread of COVID-19, which, as of yesterday, had killed at least 39,070 people globally. In a series of online posters with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19, the Malaysian Ministry of Women and Family Development issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on March 18. One of the campaign posters depicted
Taiwan will negotiate with the WHO about its participation without Beijing’s help and intervention as more countries, including Australia and Japan, are partnering with Taiwan to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a telephonic roundtable with reporters on Monday also supported Taiwan’s role in the WHO, saying the US Department of State would do its best to assist Taiwan’s “appropriate role” in the world’s highest health policy setting body, Voice of America reported. In a Japan Business Press report published on Sunday, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou (孔鉉佑) said
KEEP AWAY: People should wear a mask in places where they cannot follow social distancing rules, the CECC said, adding that it would publish detailed guidelines today The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced 16 new cases of COVID-19, including two domestic cases, as it urged people to practice social distancing in public spaces by keeping a distance of at least 1m when outdoors and 1.5m indoors. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that seven of the new cases tested positive upon their arrival at the airport, four were under home quarantine, one was under home isolation and two were under self-health management, while the two domestic cases sought treatment on their own. The domestic cases are a man in his
Two US senators were critical of the WHO after a senior WHO official appeared to hang up on a Hong Kong reporter who asked about Taiwan’s membership status in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. During a video interview with Radio Television Hong Kong’s Yvonne Tong (唐若韞) on Saturday, WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward first claimed not to have heard her question on whether the WHO would consider giving Taiwan membership. When Tong repeated the question, he asked her to “move on to another one.” The video then showed the line disconnecting after Tong said she would like to hear more about Taiwan.
RSS