The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating two women in connection with a family of five who were found dead in their home on Wednesday after apparently being defrauded in an investment scheme.
Suicide notes left at the scene described deep regret over trusting a former classmate and investing in what turned out to be a fraudulent gold purchasing scam, prosecutors said yesterday.
The victims, all from the same household in Fengyuan District (豐原), wrote that they were overwhelmed by debt and could no longer repay what they owed.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
One of the women being investigated, a 35-year-old surnamed Chang (張), was a former classmate of the family’s eldest daughter who had introduced the family to the second woman, a 45-year-old surnamed Lee (李), prosecutors said.
Lee organized group purchases of gold that the family, surnamed Wang (王), joined to earn commission.
The suspects were brought in for questioning on Friday night, the prosecutors’ office said.
Chang was interrogated that evening and placed under residency restrictions on suspicion of fraud, while Lee was questioned by police on Saturday and transferred to the prosecutors’ office later that night, it said.
Lee was held overnight for questioning and released early yesterday on bail of NT$150,000, prosecutors said, adding that she is restricted from traveling overseas.
The prosecutors’ office said that a task force has been formed with the Taichung City Police Department’s Fengyuan Precinct and the Criminal Investigation Division to investigate the case.
Authorities searched two sites in Fengyuan on Friday after prosecutors obtained warrants from the Taichung District Court.
On Saturday, investigators examined physical evidence left at the Wang family residence.
Solicitation for investment in the gold scam began in June last year, but other key details remain under investigation, Prosecutors said.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the 1925, 1995 or 1980 hotlines for help.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS