The Shilin District Court yesterday approved a request by prosecutors to detain four suspects arrested for allegedly robbing a woman of NT$5 million (US$164,728) in Taipei earlier this week.
Using footage from roadside surveillance cameras, prosecutors filed a motion with the court late on Friday to detain and hold the four incommunicado, as they are being investigated for aggravated robbery.
The request was granted to prevent them from fleeing the country, destroying evidence, colluding with others or tampering with evidence during the investigation, the court said.
The alleged robbery happened in Neihu District (內湖) at 3:02pm on Thursday, after a woman withdrew nearly NT$7 million from two different banks in Taipei.
The woman, surnamed Hsieh (謝), had withdrawn NT$5 million from a bank in Nangang District (南港), and was about to drive along Xingzhong Road in Neihu after stopping there to withdraw NT$1.95 million when an unknown man opened the door of the vehicle, pepper sprayed her in the face and made off with NT$5 million, police said at the time.
The suspected attacker, surnamed Chen (陳), immediately got into another vehicle with three accomplices and fled in the direction of New Taipei City, police said.
The police took action after receiving a report of a robbery and the four men were stopped in their vehicle near the 19km mark of Provincial Highway 2C at 4:10pm, the New Taipei City Police Department’s Ruifang Precinct said.
Chen’s alleged accomplices were later identified by their surnames, Chuang (莊), Huang (黃) and Chiu (邱), police said, adding that the stolen NT$5 million was recovered following their arrest.
The suspects are believed to be members of a crime ring, police said, adding that the case might involve rivalry between gangs.
Meanwhile, Hsieh, who was in a vehicle with two other men when the robbery happened, refused to give a statement to police without a lawyer.
The NT$6.95 million in cash has been provisionally seized, as Hsieh failed to provide a credible explanation for where the money came from and why she had it, prosecutors said.
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