Two held over bank raid

Taipei City Police Headquarters' Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) and the Shihlin Precinct arrested two men yesterday morning suspected of involvement in the robbery of the Shihlin District Farmers' Association's Tienmu branch on March 29.

One suspect, Lin Yung-san (林永森), is a former police officer from Shihlin Precinct's Tienmu Station. The other, named Lee Chun-sung (李春松), was Lin's informer and helped him investigate drug-smuggling cases.

Officers from the CIC arrested Lee at his apartment home on Tingchou Road in Taipei City.

Another team of officers from the Shihlin Precinct arrested Lin, their former colleague, at his home in Yuanchang Township, Yunlin County.

Officers also discovered a pistol used in the robbery as well as some heroin at Lee's residence.

The police said that both men have admitted that they needed money for drugs so they decided to rob the bank.

The missing money was not found, however at either of the two men's residences and police are still searching for it.

At 3pm on March 29 two armed men wearing raincoats and motorcycle helmets walked into the association's Tienmu branch, opened fire toward the ceiling with one shot and asked everybody not to move. They then took NT$498,000. The entire robbery was recorded by the bank's security closed-circuit television system.

A police officer from the National Police Administration admitted that the robbery was particularly embarrassing for the police since the administration was hosting a meeting about bank security when the robbery occurred.

According to the police the Shihlin District Farmer's Association's Tienmu branch was chosen by Lee and Lin as a target based on Lin's knowledge as a police officer.

"Lin was a former officer at Tienmu police station. He knew that the branch did not have any security guards," said Keng Chi-wen (耿繼文), the director of the Shihlin Precinct. "Also, there are many small alleys around that neighborhood as well as huge crowds from the Shihtung market and Takashimaya Department Store. They could get away with the money easily."

On Jan. 22, last year, Lin was honored by Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for resolving a drug-smuggling case at an apartment located on Chungching North Rd. The drug dealer shot Lin in the buttock as he was trying to break into the room.

Nevertheless Lin resigned from the force in May last year after his own drug dependency became known.