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Suspect runs out of luck after evading airport staff

A man wanted by police on fraud charges managed to slip past immigration officials at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday evening before being arrested by chance later the same night in Taoyuan City.

The suspect, Li Chun-ying (李俊潁), had been traveling overseas, but airport police were tipped off that he would return to Taiwan on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur scheduled to land on Monday evening, so they waited outside immigration to arrest him.

Li was able to avoid detection upon his arrival, however, by heading to an airport restroom and waiting for an opportune moment to make his escape.

He traveled from Terminal One to Terminal Two, where he found an unmanned immigration checkpoint counter set aside for returning officials. He then crawled along the ground past the checkpoint to evade an infrared sensor while avoiding the attention of airport staff.

After discovering that Li was not among the flight's passengers passing through immigration, airport police put out an all points bulletin for his arrest.

Although Li was able to slip past customs and leave the airport without being detected, his luck ran out later that night.

An officer on patrol in Taoyuan City thought Li was acting suspiciously after he got out of a taxi from the airport and decided to approach him. Li tried to duck into a nearby hotel, but the police officer was able to stop him for questioning.

At first Li said that he did not have any identification with him and that he was staying at the hotel but eventually revealed his identity. The police officer ran a check and then took Li into custody after discovering that he was a wanted man.

The Aviation Police Office said that all officers and officials found to have been negligent in carrying out their duties in the case will be punished appropriately.

The bureau further said that the infrared sensor system at the airport's immigration checkpoints will be modified to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Li was able to slip past the immigration counter because the infrared lasers do not scan below waist level.
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