A Taipei police officer has admit-ted that he is the man on videotaped evidence of a police-run kidnap and blackmailing scheme, local media reported yesterday.
DPP City Councilor Lo Tsung-sheng (羅宗勝) alleged on Tuesday that a police officer kidnapped a pair of Chinese prostitutes and blackmailed their brothel. Lo made the allegations after receiving a videotape shot on Aug. 13 from a hotel owner.
Pan Ming-chung (
On the tape, Pan followed a woman into a hotel and showed her and another woman his badge. He then left in a taxi with the two women.
According to Lo, Pan later called a brothel that allegedly supplied prostitutes to the hotel and de-manded NT$60,000 for the women's release. The two parties eventually agreed on NT$50,000.
But Pan denied that he kidnapped the two prostitutes and blackmailed their brothel. He said he was just handling a case and happened to be at the hotel at the time the tape was made.
Pan also agreed to take a lie-detector test in order to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office believe that Pan's supervisors and colleagues may also be involved in the scheme.
Officers from other branches are also involved, a prosecutor said yesterday. At least 15 municipal police officers are currently banned from leaving the country.
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