A robbery and murder suspect who has been on the run for more than five years was repatriated to Taiwan from South Africa yesterday, police said.
Cheng Cheng-chi (程正基), 38, who has been accused of involvement in a Carrefour hypermarket cash-van robbery, 20-plus jewelry shop robberies in Taiwan and a murder case in South Africa, was sent back to Taiwan under police escort.
Cheng, nicknamed the "white monkey," fled Taiwan in August 1996 after allegedly taking part in the robbing of NT$2 million from a company in May 1996 and more than NT$94.4 million from a Carrefour cash van in August that year.
A member of the Bamboo Union gang, Cheng was also accused of having been involved in more than 20 robberies of gold shops between 1995 and 1996 -- as well as in at least two gun fights in Taipei in 1994 in which people were injured.
Several of Cheng's accomplices in those cases have been arrested over the past few years.
According to police investigations, Cheng had traveled around Singapore, Hong Kong and China before settling in Cape Town, South Africa, in late 1997.
Cheng then joined with other Bamboo Union gangsters there in the shark-fin and abalone trade. Due to conflicts of business interests, Cheng allegedly murdered two Taiwanese businessmen in South Africa -- Liao Sheng-hsiung (廖勝雄) and his son, Liao Jen-wu(廖仁武), in May 1999.
The Liaos' housemaid happened to witness the murders, so Cheng shot her as well.
Over the past few years, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) under the National Police Administration has on several occasions sent officers to South Africa to assist in pursuing Cheng, but the efforts were futile. With dogged perseverance, CIB officers managed to cooperate with South African police in nabbing Cheng in March this year.
After six months of investigations into Cheng's alleged role in the murder of the Liaos and their housemaid, South African police agreed to send Cheng back to Taiwan to stand trial for a number of other crimes he has committed.
Two South African police officers escorted Cheng back to Taiwan and CIB officers took him into custody at CKS International Airport.
CIB Director Cheng Ching-sung (
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