National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 665 - 609: Fuel Rats

Chapter 665: Chapter 609: Fuel Rats

The blue slippers were quickly brought back to the police station.

The officer in charge spoke in a cheerful tone, loudly exclaiming, "This family never washes their slippers!"

In the office, the police expressed their approval, and some even applauded.

It was somewhat like the scene in a real estate agency when a house is sold and everyone celebrates together.

Jiang Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief. If this family had been a bit more hygiene-conscious, solving the case would have been really difficult.

Without DNA evidence, having only a set of footprints would have landed them in a predicament with no targets for comparison.

"We can now wait for the DNA results in peace," Liu Wenkai quickly put the case aside and poured Jiang Yuan another cup of water, grinning, "Let’s work on the other cases first, no rush."

"Sure," Jiang Yuan replied with a smile and continued to leisurely review other cases.

No matter how fast one works on cases, they always seem to come in faster. Jiang Yuan couldn’t finish all the cases he had received that very day in a short amount of time.

The room became quiet again, with officers doing their own work, organizing documents, and some already out of their chairs and gone.

Jiang Yuan quickly finished comparing a case and sent it through the computer, then continued his work, feeling a bit like doing homework during the summer vacation.

It wasn’t much longer before the main office became agitated again.

Turning his head, Jiang Yuan saw Liu Wenkai standing up, and as he followed his gaze, he spotted Director Tan from Zoumadao Police Station leaning against the door, gazing with a sly look at the rough men in the large office.

Jiang Yuan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Director Tan made him feel as though he had been caught by his own dog feeding a stray.

Not that one could really say that. By all accounts, Liu Wenkai was part of the criminal police team and closer to Jiang Yuan, so it wasn’t fair to liken him to a stray dog...

"Director Tan," Jiang Yuan smiled, lately too lazy to use emotional intelligence, but now feeling slightly embarrassed, inevitably had to stir it up.

"Captain Jiang, I was just saying you should have taken a good break these past few days," Director Tan complained with an overstretched neck as he stepped inside.

Jiang Yuan would have to pass by Zoumadao Police Station on his way home. Whether he left the house or not, Director Tan might know better than he did. However, with such a remark, any man with emotional intelligence would respond with a smile.

No explanation was given. It was as if to say, "I’ve fed a stray dog, what about it?"

"Our station hasn’t finished dealing with its cases yet," Director Tan spoke softly.

It was Liu Wenkai’s turn to step in, "Old Tan, that’s enough. You’ve already caught all the illegal tour guides. Siningshan’s tourism is in decline, and you’re still not done?"

"Out with the old, in with the new. I even went to the county recently and was praised by County Chief Li," Director Tan revealed casually, saying, "There’s been talk about Siningshan recently, online discussions claim it’s not really affected. The county’s revenue from tickets, accommodation, dining, etc., doesn’t change. These illegal tour guides and restaurants going out of business, it just saves money in the middle, and the unemployment rate doesn’t increase since they’re all going to jail, right?"

"You’ve said it all," Liu Wenkai remarked, not overly confident.

"I think we should meet halfway. How about we take care of the cases sent over from Zoumadao, specifically those under the responsibility of the second team? Our station is strong and capable now, we’re looking forward to combining forces with you, Captain Liu," Director Tan requested cheerfully.

"Actually, among the cases Captain Liu brought up before, there were some from Zoumadao," Jiang Yuan coughed twice, smoothing things over before directly asking, "Director Tan, do you have any specific cases in mind that you’d like to work on?"

Tan Jing did indeed have something in mind, inhaling deeply before saying, "I want to take down the gas thieves on the outskirts of the city!"

Unlike Liu Wenkai, who was stationed in a single place, Tan Jing held a deep understanding of his jurisdiction after years of working there and had developed a real attachment to it.

The gas thieves in the outskirts represented a persistent problem within the Zoumadao Police Station’s jurisdiction. Tan Jing and the police had fought against them more than once.

Jiang Yuan himself had previously handled a similar case, arresting a gang that stole fuel near highway toll stations.

Liu Wenkai clicked his tongue with a sound, "Old Tan has a bit of a leader’s air. We handle whichever case comes our way, but Tan always focuses on a particular type."

Catching a gas thief here and there won’t affect the big picture, but if we catch them all, that will make a difference," said Tan Jing earnestly.

The so-called stubborn illness isn’t something that can heal on its own once the rotten flesh is excised; it requires thorough debridement.

In fact, fuel thieves are a widespread issue nationwide. Some gangs even commit crimes across different areas.

Even if a gang is taken down, individual fuel thieves still exist.

Fuel is now sufficiently expensive that stealing a hundred litres or so from a truck is quite common, and it sells easily. They just have to discount it slightly to make a sale.

Diesel and gasoline can both be considered solid currencies and are long-term consumables. Even if they can’t sell it right away, the thieves are in no hurry.

On the other hand, truck drivers, the main victims, are similar to tourists in that they have fixed arrival and departure times. They are usually from out of town, unfamiliar with the area, and don’t want to cause trouble.

When the fuel in their tanks is stolen, aside from cursing, truck drivers usually do no more than make a phone call to report the crime, and few are willing to wait on site for the police to arrive.

Many people have time limits for their deliveries; if they reach their deadline, they cannot afford to stay, otherwise, they have to pay compensation.

The cost for fuel thieves to steal is incredibly low. Even if they’re caught by the victim, it’s usually just a couple of threats before they turn around and walk away. Trucks are commercial vehicles, and it’s not practical to hire extra drivers just to deter them—that would be too costly.

On the highways, the flow of large transport trucks is endless.

Thus, fuel theft as an occupation has growth potential—it naturally forms into gangs.

If a fuel thief initially worked solo, he would soon feel the need to expand and strengthen his operations. He might upgrade from stealing with a motorcycle to using a small van, and evolve from a solo act to a teamwork approach.

Unlike truck drivers, who are hard to increase in number, the security and income of a fuel-stealing gang can significantly increase with just two or three members. Because there are so many trucks, a trio can steal two to three times the amount of fuel compared to a lone thief.

In the end, the income is high enough not just for the thieves to splurge, but also to have savings. As a result, every time the police organize a special operation, they can just run off to avoid it, or even move to another city.

Tan Jing produced a USB drive, inserted it into the computer on the spot, and showed Jiang Yuan and the others the details of the case.

Jiang Yuan spread his hands to Liu Wen Kai and laughed, "Well, let’s take a look."

"Ah, they’re all broken cases," Liu Wen Kai had nothing else to say since Chai’s limited edition actually looked a bit like Chai; the time was too short.

Tan Jing showed three cases in one go - thefts at a service station, on a provincial road, and on a county road, highlighting a comprehensive issue.

Tan Jing then looked at Jiang Yuan and asked, "What do you think?"

"It feels like gathering evidence won’t be easy, seems labor-intensive." Jiang Yuan spoke candidly.

"Indeed, if we can only catch them once, the sentence won’t be heavy."

"Could there be an issue with a protective umbrella?"

Tan Jing hesitated for a moment then said, "It’s hard to tell someone’s true nature by their appearance. If you want me to guarantee... I think we could use some younger police officers, they are less set in their ways and more enthusiastic. If Captain Liu is willing to cooperate, that would be even better."

With a "Ha," Liu Wen Kai pointed at Tan Jing and said, "You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you? Might as well mobilize the entire Ningtai County Bureau at your command!"

"Then what else do you have?" Tan Jing countered. "Do you have any major cases on your hands?"

Liu Wen Kai found himself speechless for a moment.

A thought flashed through Jiang Yuan’s mind and he said, "Alright then, I’ll bring the Cold Case Squad along, and I’ll also call in a cop from out of province."

"From out of province?"

"From the Luojin City Bureau of Baijiang Province. The captain of the fourth brigade, Pang Jidong—he learnt Legal Botany from me. He got halfway through his studies and I’ve been meaning to call him over for a major case, but there hasn’t been one yet. I’m afraid he’ll forget what he learned... so, might as well," explained Jiang Yuan.

Pang Jidong had a task pending over there, but what the reward entailed was unknown.

Tan Jing could only nod. The concept of calling people from other provinces is generally something organized by the ministry.