Taipei: Two men were arrested after allegedly breaking into six Shopee self-pickup stores in northern Taiwan over a nine-day period and stealing around NT$1 million (US$33,000) in cash, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Tuesday.
According to Focus Taiwan, at a news conference on the case, investigators said the thefts occurred in late March at stores in New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu County. The suspects reportedly used angle grinders and metal bars to force open payment machines inside unmanned pickup stores before fleeing with the cash.
CIB officials indicated that surveillance footage and evidence collected from multiple crime scenes pointed to the same two men being responsible for all six incidents. Police identified the suspects as surnamed Lin and Yang, both in their 40s, with prior criminal records involving drugs and theft.
Investigators revealed that the duo allegedly targeted stores in relatively remote areas and carried out the thefts during the early morning hours when fewer people were around. Police conducted coordinated raids on March 28 and arrested the men, one in New Taipei's Tucheng District and the other in Taoyuan's Pingzhen District. During the raids, they seized suspected burglary paraphernalia, including power tools, crowbars, and a master key used for motorcycles.
The two suspects were transferred to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of aggravated theft, the CIB said.