A music teacher surnamed Wu had a flute worth more than NT$300,000 stolen four years ago. A college student that wanted the instrument to be repaired and resold recently brought the stolen flute to the same instrument dealer’s shop that originally sold it to Wu. In the end, Wu was able to recover her instrument because of the serial number engraved on it.
The police said thieves broke into Wu’s house on Lunar New Year’s Eve four years ago when she and her family were not at home. Four households in the same building, including Wu’s, were burglarized. Wu’s losses were the heaviest with a flute worth more than NT$300,000 and a violin worth around NT$80,000 both stolen.
Wu reported the theft to the police. Since musical instruments serve a specific purpose, only specific instrument dealers will purchase them. However, the flute never resurfaced until a 23 year-old college student surnamed Ho recently took it to the instrument dealer that sold it to Wu, and asked that it be repaired and resold. After noticing the serial number on the flute, the dealer became suspicious and contacted Wu. Since Wu had previously reported the theft to the police, the instrument was identified as stolen property. The police promptly detained Ho for questioning.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者許國楨
Ho told the police that the flute belonged to his father, who had asked him to take it to the shop for repairs that day. The police also summoned Ho’s 57 year-old father. The father claimed that a friend who was also a frequent customer at his philatelic shop had given him the instrument three years prior and subsequently moved to Australia.
Ho’s father was unable to provide the police with his friend’s contact information or even his full name, therefore doubts arose since he claimed a person had given him a flute with a value of more than NT$300,000 simply because the man was a frequent customer at his shop. The police were convinced that the father’s confessions were illogical, and thus detained him as a theft suspect.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者許國楨
吳姓女音樂老師價值新台幣三十多萬元的長笛四年前遭竊，日前竟被一名大學生送去吳女當初購買的樂器公司要求維修轉售。由於長笛上有烙碼序號，吳女失而復得。
警方指出，吳女四年前除夕舉家外出過年，遭宵小闖空門。同棟連同吳家共有四戶遭竊。其中吳女被偷走一支價值新台幣三十多萬元的長笛，及八萬多元的小提琴，損失最慘重。
吳女當時報警處理。由於樂器的特殊用途，僅特定樂器公司才會收購，但那支長笛一直未出現。日前，二十三歲的何姓大學生拿著這支長笛，至當初賣給吳女的樂器公司要求修復並轉售。由於長笛上有烙碼序號，樂器公司察覺有異，立即通知吳女。由於警方曾接獲吳女報案，確認長笛為贓物，立即將何某帶回偵訊。
何某向警方表示，長笛係其父親所有。當天係應父親要求，將長笛送去修理；警方傳喚五十七歲的何父到案說明。何父供稱，因開集郵社，該長笛是三年前一名常來光顧的友人所贈，但該友人已移居澳洲。
但何父無法提供友人連絡方式及全名，且該長笛市價要新台幣三十多萬元，怎麼可能會送給只因購物而認識的友人？警方認為何父所言不符常理，訊後仍依竊盜罪嫌函送何父法辦。
（自由時報記者許國楨）
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