In 1986, in Dezhou of Shandong province, Liu Jiayong committed highway robbery with other gang members. He hid in the grass under the national highway and evaded capture by the police, then fled, thus beginning a life on the run that would last for 25 years.
Yesterday morning, the suspect Liu Jiayong was apprehended by Jinzhou police at a small private factory in Gezhenbao, Dalian, setting a record for the longest time spent as a fugitive in the nationwide "Clear Net Operation."
The man claims his surname is Zhang, but his own son's surname is Liu.
Recently, Dong Bin, a young political cadre of Jinzhou Public Security Bureau, received a suspicious clue from an informant named Pei Mou: In a suburban private enterprise in Gezhenbao district of Ganjingzi, Dalian, there was a 47-year-old worker surnamed "Zhang" whose behavior aroused suspicion. He claimed to be from Shandong but spoke fluent Northeast dialect. His son's surname is Liu while his is Zhang. Moreover, he never used his ID card for anything, even giving up insurance rather than showing his ID card. The informant Pei Mou, a twice-released prisoner, said that people with criminal records usually have the characteristic of hiding their ID cards. Dong Bin immediately reported this important clue to the bureau leadership, and the Political Department concentrated its efforts to assist Dong Bin in online analysis.
A trip to Shandong confirmed the suspect's identity.
Through investigation, there were nearly a thousand fugitives aged 45-50 with surnames Zhang and Liu in Shandong. Pei Mou was asked to help secretly identify them. Due to the long time span, it was difficult to recognize them from photos. After nearly a week of repeated identification, it was preliminarily determined that Liu Jiayong, a young villager from Sun Laiyi village, Lingcheng town, Ling county, Shandong, was the current "Mr. Zhang."
According to the information on the wanted list, in 1986, Liu Jiayong joined a robbery gang and committed over ten armed robberies on National Highway 204 in Dezhou. After the other gang members were arrested, Liu Jiayong fled hastily, leaving behind his newlywed wife and breastfeeding son.
Director Zhang Jiaguo of the Political Department of Jinzhou Public Security Bureau immediately arranged for Dong Bin to secretly take photos of the suspect who claimed to be "Mr. Zhang," mixing them with photos of other men of the same age. They went to Sun Laiyi village, Ling county, Shandong, asking local party members and cadres over 45 years old to secretly identify him. It was unanimously determined that the current "Mr. Zhang" was indeed Liu Jiayong, who had been on the run for 25 years after committing armed robbery.
Police officers squatted in wait to arrest the suspect.
Dong Bin immediately led a team back from Shandong to Dalian. After investigation, it was learned that "Mr. Zhang" usually rode a black unlicensed scooter with a small red flag on the handlebars and a pair of red footprints painted on the front mudguard. He wore a blue long-sleeved work uniform when going to and from work, but his exact address was unknown, only known to be in Yang Quanzi area. Jinzhou police then waited in ambush in the area. A day later, Pei Mou called Dong Bin, revealing that "Mr. Zhang" would arrive at the factory at 6:30 AM on the 21st. Yesterday morning at 6:30 AM, Dong Bin first spotted the "target" riding a motorcycle into the factory. As soon as the motorcycle was turned off, Dong Bin rushed forward and subdued "Mr. Zhang" on the ground.
Money tempted him onto the path of robbery.
After being captured, "Mr. Zhang" admitted that he was Liu Jiayong, who had committed armed robbery on National Highway 204 in Dezhou, Shandong. According to Liu Jiayong's confession, he had many brothers and lived in poverty, developing a habit of laziness and aversion to hard work from a young age, dreaming of getting rich without effort. At the age of 22, he met a group of bandits robbing passing vehicles on National Highway 204 in Dezhou. Tempted by money, Liu Jiayong lost his mind and took the risk of joining the gang, committing over ten armed robberies.
When Liu Jiayong first arrived in Dalian, he met a Shandong youth named Zhang in Xinzhaizi. Coincidentally, Zhang and Liu Jiayong were born in the same year, with no obvious facial features, and similar face shape and hairstyle. To avoid police checks, Liu Jiayong lied about losing his ID card and paid Zhang to get a new temporary residence permit, borrowing Zhang's old one for his own use. Thus, he managed to stay hidden for over 20 years using someone else's temporary residence permit.
For 25 years, Liu Jiayong was extremely cautious, fearing to attract police attention.
With tears in his eyes, Liu Jiayong told the police officer that for 25 years, he had never dared to meet the police face-to-face and had been very careful in his work and life, fearing to cause trouble and alert the police. Over the years, whenever good friends asked him to help fight or stand up for them, Liu Jiayong always refused.
In 1995, Liu Jiayong secretly called his wife back home in Shandong, which was the only call he made home in 25 years, asking her to bring their son to Dalian secretly. This way, the three of them rented a house in a remote area of Gezhenbao and settled down. In 1996, both of Liu Jiayong's parents passed away, but he knew nothing about it.
Yesterday evening, the Jinzhou police formally handed over the fugitive Liu Jiayong to the Shandong police.
Guo Lin, Cheng Wen, reporter Sun Shenghui
Escape journey
●1986
During the last incident, he hid in the grass under the national highway and evaded capture by the police, then fled to Harbin via Hebei that night.
●End of 1987
He went to Hailun, Heilongjiang, to work.
●End of 1988
Hearing that Dalian was a good place to make money, he came to Xinzhaizi, Ganjingzi District, Dalian, finally choosing a small private factory in Gezhenbao, Ganjingzi District, where he stayed for over 20 years.