Sindian police cautioned people joining “treasure-hunting” or “night adventure” trips organized by online groups after two groups of young people were arrested last month for trespassing.
The Sindian Police Precinct said in a statement on Feb. 23 that they received calls on two separate days during the Lunar New Year holiday from an employee of the now-closed Naluwan Spring Resort Hotel in New Taipei City’s Wulai District (烏來) and arrested nine people for breaking into the hotel.
The first group — composed of a woman surnamed Juan (阮), 22, and two men, surnamed Lu (呂), 22, and Lin (林), 34 — entered the hotel through a side entrance with a damaged door at about 9pm on Feb. 20.
Photo copied by Lu Yun-feng, Taipei Times
Although the hotel has long stopped operating, it still has one employee, surnamed Huang (黃), 58, who guards the place.
When Huang discovered the intruders, he called the police, who arrived and searched the three.
An antique jade pendant was found on Lin, who said it was Juan who took the pendant, worth about NT$2,000, in the lobby, police said.
The trio are facing charges of theft and trespassing on private property, they said.
In the early hours of the following day, another group of six people made their way into the hotel through the same side entrance. Huang was awakened by the noise and called the police.
Although the police did not find any stolen items after searching the six — an underaged girl surnamed Wu (吳), three men aged 19, surnamed Chen (陳), Yu (俞) and Huang (黃), and two men aged 20, surnamed Liu (劉) and Chang (張) — the five adults were charged with trespassing and attempted theft.
Wu’s case would be handled by the Taipei Juvenile Court, police said.
Members of the two groups said they had found information about the hotel online and believing it was abandoned formed two groups via the social media app Line to explore and go “treasure hunting.
“Night adventure” trips have become popular online among people looking for thrills and excitement from exploring abandoned places, reportedly haunted houses or shuttered or derelict amusement parks, police said.
“Young people in these online-gathering groups are prompted by curiosity, or games of dare and the sense of adventure from exploring places at night. Some of these activities are billed as treasure hunting, but they often run afoul of the law, as they are entering private property and may get sued for theft by the owner if they take any item from the place,” police said.
Sindian police said they have checked and verified that the Wulai hotel is only temporarily closed and not abandoned property.
The hotel was temporarily shut down in 2015, when Typhoon Dujuan caused flash floods and landslides, cutting off roads and trapping the owners and five staff inside the hotel for days.
When global travel and tourism ceased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel owners in 2021 decided to temporarily shut down the hotel, police said.
Sindian police urged people to double-check and verify posted notices on social media, especially messages tagged as “exploring abandoned places” or “treasure hunting at secret sites,” as most of them contain false information, and participants often end up trespassing on private property.
“It is illegal to enter a property without the owner’s permission, and those who do can be charged with trespassing or theft if they take anything,” police said.
“People must not blindly believe online rumors and misinformation and risk being arrested for engaging in illegal activities,” they added.
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