Police officers yesterday busted a criminal ring allegedly involved in illicit remittance services and detained 21 people, the National Police Agency said.
The group was allegedly headed by Chen Sheng-hu (陳生琥), an alleged leader of the Bamboo Union’s “Scorpio” chapter, and alleged Heavenly Way Alliance member Tseng Chia-wei (曾家偉), it said, adding that raids had been conducted over the past few weeks
Chen and some associates were apprehended in Chiayi City, while Tseng was detained in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊), the agency said.
Officers seized modified handguns, ammunition, computers, mobile phones, account books, drugs, as well as counterfeit banknotes used to deceive users of the remittance service, it said.
Police also seized personal items from the group members, including luxury watches and cash, which prosecutors suspect to be connected to the group’s illicit activities, it said.
The group allegedly advertised its services on Facebook and other social media sites, offering lower handling fees and exchange rates than established remittance services, it said.
Profit made from the services is up to NT$42.46 million (US$1.51 million), the agency added.
One of the alleged victims, a businessman surnamed Lin (林), reported being defrauded of NT$15 million, it said, adding that the group issued receipts for the amount.
Lin tried to transfer the money to a friend in South Korea, who said he was given counterfeit won bills, it said.
The handover of the money was arranged in a crowded public place so that the recipient could not immediately count the money, the agency said, adding that investigators suspect the involvement of Bamboo Union members in the country.
Chen, Tseng and other members would be charged with fraud, forgery and operating an unlicensed banking service, it said.
Separately, eight Bamboo Union members were detained in a raid following an investigation focused on loan sharking and kidnapping in Tainan on Thursday, police said.
Police also freed a businessman surnamed Huang (黃), who had allegedly been kidnapped and held for three days, they said, adding that they suspect that the Taipei-based Mingren Branch of the Bamboo Union, allegedly headed by 23-year-old Wang Hao-kuang (王皓廣), was involved.
Huang managed a vehicle rental company, for which he took a NT$4 million loan from the suspects, police said.
When Huang was unable to pay back the loan, Wang and his associates allegedly kidnapped him in Tainan and took him to New Taipei City, where they beat him up, they said.
Prosecutors said the suspects would be charged with assault, kidnapping and breaching the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例).
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