National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 1047 - 980 Clue

Chapter 1047: Chapter 980 Clue

"Captain Jiang, this is the report from Technical Investigation; please sign here. You can only read it here. Once you finish, I will need to take it back." A stamped document bag is placed in front of Jiang Yuan, the expression of the police officer in uniform is gentle, yet his tone is somewhat brusque.

Jiang Yuan took the opportunity to recompose himself, nodded, and immediately opened the Technical Investigation report, then took out several other reports from beside it to compare.

The theft by suspect Zhang Weili is not without trace; on the contrary, it is quite easy to trace his activities. It only depends on whether it is worth investigating.

It’s not just a matter of police force allocation here but also an issue of the application level of various authorizations.

For example, the authority of Technical Investigation is usually the highest in criminal cases, but it’s generally not fully utilized. A typical example is phone tapping, which is not activated for general cases. The approval grade is very high, and don’t expect approvals to be quick. Some units even require that after exhausting all other means, and only if the case meets the regulatory conditions, can it be used.

Similarly, for data from major internet companies, without a certain level of authority, one can only bring an official letter to ask questions, similar to asking ChatGPT, and the efficiency is even lower. The so-called "big data investigation" thriving nowadays doesn’t grant much usable data to the grassroots level.

In terms of authority, because Jiang Yuan has handled several cases of subordinates, as well as drug and national security cases, and has handled cases overseas several times, the system has granted him a very high level of authority. Therefore, the intelligence that Cui Qishan couldn’t even get close to is accessible to Jiang Yuan.

Using these resources in a theft case is not just overkill; it’s practically an assembly line for killing chickens.

The first batch that was screened out included 6 individuals involved in receiving stolen goods.

Although it’s not quite like a store, those who deal in stolen goods inevitably need to let some people know and understand them to have opportunities to make money.

Their firewalls are not like those of common criminals who mainly focus on concealing their tracks. Instead, their main strategy is "visible only within their circle". Whether it’s receiving items through WeChat, running a storefront, or dealing with luxury brands, the core is focused on insufficient evidence and difficulties in prosecution.

Additionally, professional receivers of stolen goods have been declining; most are now itinerant or part-time. A commonality is that when the police arrive, the pretense of ignorance by the receivers is increasingly common.

For these individuals, the cost of securing evidence and prosecuting is higher, plus their social harm is not particularly severe compared to burglary or robbery. Thus, their likelihood of being captured is lower.

Police mostly catch them when they happen to have spare time, come across them, or during specialized operations.

But this time, Jiang Yuan is the lead investigator, and issues of internal consumption will be handled by others. Jiang Yuan only needs to pronounce the magic words: I want!

If he wants it, it will be given.

This is a script of life quite familiar to Jiang Yuan.

However, the arrested receivers of stolen goods were a bit flustered.

...

In the interrogation room.

Boss Zhao, involved in the maximum amount, looked wronged: "Government, I admit to dealing in stolen goods. But I really was about to contact you, I even picked up my phone, thinking of getting some evidence to make it clear, I was just preparing when your SWAT team rushed in! Look at my call log, there definitely is one of your phone numbers, I just hadn’t got through, it was hung up!"

Cui Qishan personally conducted the interrogation, asking, "So you mean, you wanted to report a fellow dealer, but the call didn’t go through and was cut off."

"It’s turning myself in, I wanted to turn myself in!" Boss Zhao firmly shouted. He understood the law, so he knew that getting away scot-free with both himself and the stolen goods captured was impossible, so he aimed for a chance to turn himself in.

Cui Qishan sneered, naturally disbelieving that he would turn himself in directly. Making a call could be possible, but mostly it would be to report a fellow dealer. Cui Qishan then said, "A call that didn’t go through is equivalent to no call."

Boss Zhao, getting anxious, his handcuffs clattering loudly: "No... I really wanted to turn myself in... Really... I’m wronged."

"Sit tight, why are you fidgeting?" a criminal police officer snapped.

"You did fence the goods; what are you falsely accusing others for?" Cui Qishan snorted, "Okay, if you want a reduced sentence, report more people. Once they’re caught, I’ll count it in your favor. Don’t even think about mitigating circumstances for turning yourself in. If you keep stalling and someone else reports first, don’t blame me for not considering it for you."

"I’ll report, I’ll report!" Boss Zhao quickly answered, and after thinking for a bit, he said, "I know An Suozi has come around recently; I know where he lives!"

Boss Zhao said, looking at the police officer next to him, "I’m formally reporting him, you’ll count this for me, right?"

"It counts. But it’s only valid if the person is caught based on your information. If someone beats you to it, there’s nothing I can do," Cui Qishan said, his tone much gentler, "You should also know who is handling this case."

"I do," Boss Zhao quickly nodded, "Ningtai Jiangyuan, fierce and formidable."

Cui Qishan nodded slightly, "Start talking."

Boss Zhao hastily began reporting his peers.

Once he finished one, he reported another. After drinking some water in between, he also named two of his regular customers.

He figured he was going to prison anyway. By the time he got out, these regular customers probably wouldn’t last either. It might be better to report them now and maybe even get a lighter sentence. Even if the regular customers survived, they would nourish the peers who remained, so they couldn’t be left either.

With this rationalization, Boss Zhao felt justified in naming two more people.

In the adjacent interrogation room, Boss Li, who had been arrested around the same time, was also desperately confessing.

The police often used the tactic of arresting one and ensnaring a string of others. The most common cases involved trafficking controlled substances and prostitution. Once one person was arrested, a series of contacts was subsequently detained.

Previously, travel was slow, and the ledgers were easily destroyed; one could barely handle one case in a lifetime. Since criminals started using WeChat groups, police work has switched from solving cases to managing them.

Once a case showed a breach, the extent of further proceedings really depended on the resources invested.

The current police handling of such serial cases is akin to encirclement hunting; are there fish that slip through the net? Definitely, and quite a few at that, but do the police really care?

By this stage, the police don’t just look at how many game are in the forest, but at how many resources they have, how large of an area they can encircle, and how much time they have. More resources and more time mean more ferocity; otherwise, the police can only conduct encirclement hunts batch by batch.

It should be said that, with the advancements in technology and society today, some people have become more equal, while some others might as well not be considered human at all.

Zhengguang Bureau’s police cars were driving in and out, and the suspects at the interrogation center were entering and leaving as well.

Jiang Yuan’s case certainly couldn’t use those old interrogation rooms in old buildings anymore. Even Little Karami could enjoy the interrogation rooms built underground, with at least three heavy doors and two AB doors, all softly padded.

They all have no idea how lucky they are!

Six o’clock in the afternoon.

After interrogating over 40 suspects unknown numbers of times and still not obtaining effective leads, the Criminal Police Brigade indeed received an anonymous tip:

"This morning, Zhang Weili exchanged cash at a convenience store!"

Within fifteen minutes, that convenience store was surrounded tightly by police cars.