The head of a criminal ring that allegedly tortured 58 people and killed three others has been arrested and the victims freed, Taoyuan authorities said yesterday.
Police arrested Chen Wei-hua (陳樺韋), 37, in Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山) at about 11pm on Friday, and seized NT$520,000 (US$16,157) in cash at his residence, they said.
Forensic investigators determined that Chen was running a human trafficking ring that engaged in kidnapping, torture and extortion, authorities said.
Photo: CNA
Sixteen others believed to be a part of the organization were also arrested, they said.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the arrests followed swift efforts by police.
“These arrests required diligence, and the government praises the police endeavors in this case. We must bring to justice every criminal engaged in this crime,” he said, adding that he thanked the officers for rescuing the 58 people being held against their will.
He also said that jobseekers should be wary to not fall into traps, which are indicated by job advertisements that offer excessively high pay for easy working conditions.
Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui (張斗輝) yesterday said that forensic experts are to investigate the case.
They are to examine the flow of the organization’s funds and look for other members and accomplices, Chang said.
The Association for Victims Support is to provide legal assistance, counseling and other assistance to the rescued people and their families.
Raids were first conducted in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) on Tuesday, with 26 people released and eight suspects arrested. Another eight suspects were arrested in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), where 32 more people were released. It was there that three others were found dead.
New Taipei City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps head Hsiao Juei-hao (蕭瑞豪) coordinated the raids.
Two bodies recovered in Taoyuan were alleged victims of torture, while a third victim was found on a mountain road in Nantou County, Hsiao said.
Police at the Taoyuan site seized handcuffs, plastic wrist binders, electroshock weapons, metal rods and other devices believed to have been used to torture the victims, all of whom had bruises and injuries, with some indicating they had been burned with cigarettes, Hsiao said.
The rescued captives testified to being handcuffed to prevent their escape, and being beaten with clubs and metal rods for not cooperating, Hsiao said.
The victims also said when taken outside to withdraw money from their bank accounts, they had cloth stuffed into their mouths to prevent shouts, and were confined to inside rooms with 24-hour monitoring after being drugged.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to