Investigators probing the alleged abduction of KMT legislator Huang Hsien-chou (黃顯洲) yesterday arrested the brother of the prime suspect in the case, Lin Ann (林安), who denied involvement in the crime or knowledge of his sister's location.
Huang revealed Wednesday that he was kidnapped by underworld figures between Dec. 27 and Monday, during which he was drugged, tied up, held at gun point and robbed of NT$800,000 in cash.
But law-enforcement officers suspect that the outgoing lawmaker may have been the victim of a sex scam, although Huang linked the incident to his attempt to mediate a financial dispute on behalf of a constituent.
Acting on clues from witnesses, police tracked down Chan Fu-shun (詹富順), 27, the younger brother of Chan Hui-hua (詹惠華), who checked into the hotel room where Huang was reportedly held hostage for four days.
Twenty-nine-year-old Chan Hui-hau (Lin Ann's real name) is painted by the Chinese-language media as a "gorgeous" call girl who is "active" in political circles.
Later in the day, she said through her lawyer that Huang owed her over NT$1 million and that they maintained a romantic relationship for two years.
She has been involved in financial fraud before. Lin would come forward and tell her side of the story if necessary, her lawyer said.
Her mentally retarded brother admitted to seeing Huang in the hotel room in the Grand Hyatt Taipei but added that he left minutes later, unaware of what transpired there, investigators said.
The younger Chan said he did not know the whereabouts of his sister, adding that he didn't believe his sister had committed the alleged wrongdoing.
According to Huang, he arrived in the five-star hotel room in early hours of Dec. 27 at the request of Lin Ann.
The lawmaker, who failed to retain his seat representing Taichung City in the Dec. 1 elections, said he lost consciousness soon after drinking a glass of cola.
He said that when he woke up days later, he found himself wearing only his underwear.
His kidnappers, Huang recounted, took his ATM card and made away with NT$800,000 from his account while he was unconscious.
But law-enforcement officers noted that the incident reeked of a sex fraud, as Lin has been found guilty of similar offenses before.
They also raised doubts over Huang's testimony that he was trying to help his constituent, noting that a hotel room is not a normal venue for such services.
Still, his alleged abduction raised eyebrows in the political community, with Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
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