A man in Taiwan proved that he would go to great lengths for an undeserved insurance payout of S$1.7 million.
That included allegedly causing his own legs to be amputated.
He did this by soaking them in dry ice for 10 hours.
Source: Taiwan SETNEWS Live Channel on YouTube
Details of the suspected case of insurance fraud were revealed in a statement from Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau posted on 14 March.
It said that a 24-year-old man surnamed Zhang and his friend Liao, also 24, travelled by motorcycle to several locations in Taiwan on 26 Jan 2023.
The places they visited included Yangmingshan National Park and the Tamsui District.
Yangminshan National Park. Source: Treddy Chen on Unsplash
After the excursion, Zhang suffered frostbite due to the cold weather.
His legs had to be amputated below the knee.
As he had taken out a number of insurance policies with insurers like Prudential, Shin Kong and AIA, he filed eight disability claims.
His claims amounted to a total of NT$41.26 million (S$1.74 million).
However, the case raised suspicions, prompting the police to investigate.
When they checked with meteorological observatories in Yangmingshan and Tamsui, it was found that the temperature in these areas that day was between 6°C and 17°C.
That is not sufficient to cause frostbite, the bureau’s statement said.
As Taiwan is a subtropical region, cases of serious frostbite requiring amputation due to natural climate factors on the flatlands are unheard of, it added.
Tamsui District. Source: Steven Su on Unsplash
Moreover, investigators also discovered that Zhang’s insurance policies were taken out just a few days before he went on the motorcycle trip, which was “inconsistent with common sense”.
After the photos of Zhang’s emergency medical examination in hospital were reviewed, it was also observed that his injuries were “neat and symmetrical”.
While his feet were frostbitten, there were no sock or shoe marks, investigators noted.
This was inconsistent with real-life instances of frostbite, meaning his injuries were probably human-inflicted, they said.
The case was referred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, and on 15 Nov searches were carried out at locations including Taipei City and Yunlin Country.
During the simultaneous raids, a styrofoam box that held dry ice and a green plastic bucket that Zhang allegedly soaked his feet in were recovered.
Source: Taiwan SETNEWS Live Channel on YouTube
Also seized were insurance documents, five mobile phones and one tablet computer, among other things.
Zhang and Liao were subsequently arrested.
Upon further investigation, it came to light that Liao had suffered losses from investing in cryptocurrency.
He then allegedly tricked Zhang into signing a promissory note for NT$25 million (S$1 million).
The duo came up with the scheme for Zhang to get frostbite, leading to amputation.
To accomplish this, Liao allegedly tied Zhang to a chair with a belt and immersed his legs in a bucket of dry ice for 10 hours, reported Yahoo Taiwan.
When questioned, Zhang denied insurance fraud, saying that Liao had told him that he’d offended somebody in the underworld.
Liao had suggested he send photos of his legs in dry ice to the gangsters “as restitution” and make an insurance claim at the same time.
Prosecutors rejected this, and the duo were charged with fraud and helping others to inflict serious harm on themselves, the bureau said.
The bureau noted that the suspect, Zhang, was only in his 20s but now has a lifelong disability.
It advised the public to take good care of their health.
They should also not covet illegal gains, resulting in regrettable losses, the statement concluded.
Also read: M’sian Man Drinks Teh Tarik 3 Times A Day For Years, Gets Diabetes In Mid-20s & Loses Right Foot
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Featured image adapted from Taiwan SETNEWS Live Channel on YouTube and Criminal Investigation Bureau, Taiwan.
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