In an unexpected turn of events, three robbers from southern Taiwan drove hundreds of kilometres to rob a man, only to discover the NT$2 million (S$86,000) they had stolen was almost entirely fake toy cash.
In November last year, two men surnamed Huang and Wang (name transliterated) from Pingtung, along with a teenage accomplice surnamed Lan, allegedly followed orders from a mysterious figure known only by the nickname “Pan Pan”.
Pan Pan allegedly instructed them to rob someone in a “black eats black” scheme — a term used when criminals turn on fellow criminals.
Following the plan, the trio travelled north to Taoyuan’s Guishan District, where they arranged to meet a man surnamed Tsai (name transliterated) at a convenience store.
As Tsai pulled up in his car, Huang quickly snatched a blue backpack from him, and the group fled south via the Linkou Interchange.
It wasn’t until they were speeding down the highway in Yunlin that they opened the bag and made the shocking discovery.
While it appeared to contain over S$86,000 in cash, only NT$2,000 (S$86) were actual banknotes. The rest were worthless toy notes.
Source: Canva, for illustrative purposes only
Still determined to make the most of the heist, they spent the real S$86 at the Qingshui rest area before continuing their escape south.
However, as they reached the Yunlin section of National Highway No. 3, highway police attempted to pull them over.
Fearing they’d be caught red-handed, the trio panicked, tossed the fake S$86,000 out of the car, and sped away.
Eventually, they ditched their getaway car on Rongyu Road, removed the licence plates, and took a taxi to Chiayi High-Speed Rail Station, where they fled back to Kaohsiung by train.
Tsai later reported the robbery to the Guishan police. With a warrant issued by the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office, officers tracked down and arrested Huang and Wang in Kaohsiung.
Source: Pexels, for illustrative purposes only
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office has since indicted both men for robbery committed by a group of three or more people.
The teenage suspect, Lan, is being handled separately by the Pingtung District Juvenile Court.
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Featured image adapted from Pexels and Canva, for illustrative purposes only.