Taichung police yesterday made progress in the investigation of the murder of suspected gangster Weng Chi-nan (翁奇楠) with the arrest of six suspects.
Taichung City Police Chief Frank Chiu (邱豐光) said Lin Ying-hao (林英豪), one of the six arrested, told police during an interrogation that he was the driver who transported Liao Kuo-hao (廖國豪), the suspected shooter, to Weng’s office on the day of the crime.
Alleged gang leader Weng was gunned down on May 28 in his office.
The case ignited a public outcry as it was later discovered that four police officers were at the scene playing mahjong, but did not intervene. The case prompted the government to outline a new crime-fighting program, code-named “Operation Thunder” (霹靂專案), to crack down on gang-related activities. The police authorities also vowed to institute better discipline in the police force.
According to Chiu, Lin, 24, was arrested at an Internet cafe in Tainan County’s Rende Township (仁德) yesterday.
Chiu declined to give more details concerning the other five suspects, saying only that they were arrested at five separate locations, and were alleged to have supplied weapons, transportation or shelter during Weng’s murder.
Yang Ding-jung (楊定融), a Taichung gangster suspected of being the mastermind behind Weng’s murder, was arrested on June 26 when he returned from China and has been detained since. His arrest, however, did not help police close the case, as Liao’s whereabouts remained unknown. Yang, meanwhile, denied any role in Weng’s murder.
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