According to United Daily News and other reports, the Shilin Branch of the Taipei City Police Department received a report from an eyewitness on the afternoon of August 30 that a gang fight had occurred near a coffee shop in Shilin District. Officers were immediately dispatched to the scene to handle the incident, but they did not expect it to be a virtual currency "gang-on-gang robbery case."
Virtual currency trading fraud
The police pointed out that the man surnamed Guo involved in the case had been defrauded of money when buying and selling cryptocurrencies. He was unwilling to accept this. In order to make up for the financial gap, he decided to go online to look for netizens who wanted to buy Tether, intending to "follow their example" and rob the cheaters.
Guo learned that a man named Shi wanted to buy 200,000 USDT for more than NT$6 million through Facebook. So Guo found four accomplices, pretending to be currency traders, and met with Shi at a coffee shop in Shilin District, Taipei City at the end of last month to trade face to face.
On the day of the transaction, when Guo and five others saw the buyer, Shi and 22-year-old Huang, appear, they immediately attacked Shi and Huang with weapons such as pepper spray and tape, intending to steal 6 million yuan in cash.
Shi and Huang realized that the other party wanted to rob them, so they took out the weapons they carried with them (see picture) on the spot, causing Zhang from Guo's side to suffer injuries in the abdomen and lungs. Fang also suffered an abdominal injury and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Zhang was seriously injured and hospitalized.
The police seized evidence including folding knives and cell phones. Image source: Shilin Branch of Taipei City Police Department
Police arrested 7 suspects and sent them to the police station
After receiving the report, the police rushed to the scene. Since the actions of both parties involved illegal street fighting, Guo and five other suspects were transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on charges of robbery, gang fighting, and assault. Another two suspects, Shi and Huang, were transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on charges of attempted murder and gang fighting.
The Shilin Branch reiterates its zero-tolerance policy for public security. It will strictly enforce the law and show no leniency towards any illegal activities by lawbreakers or those who are lucky enough to take advantage of the situation. It will also continue to carry out various raids to demonstrate its determination to combat crime.
