The embezzled money was packed into six leather suitcases. Suspect Wang Jianhua, who helped people finance company registrations, defrauded his business partner of a staggering 16 million yuan. As soon as the money hit his account, Wang, who had premeditated the crime, handed over 2.5 million yuan to his family and his mistress. He then fled to Weihai in Shandong Province in a newly purchased car loaded with the stolen cash, planning to buy a sea-view villa there for long-term residence.
Video: Fugitive hides over 10 million yuan in cash at a hotel - Source: Shandong TV's Morning News.
As Wang was attempting to deposit the stolen funds bit by bit in Weihai, the Chongchuan police descended upon him unexpectedly, catching him red-handed. This marked the successful resolution of the largest single-amount fraud case in Nantong’s history. On the evening before last, under heavy armed guard, the millions of yuan were transported back to Nantong. It took bank staff five hours just to count the cash.
Reported by intern Sun Jiahua and reporter Chen Hongjiang of Kuaibao, both writing and photographing.
Promising high returns, Wang set a trap that defrauded his partner of 16 million yuan. The 41-year-old Wang Jianhua from Yao Gang Village, Ren Gang Street, Chongchuan District, Nantong, is an introverted man who had worked in a township enterprise and run a decoration company, but both ventures failed. In 2007, Wang was sentenced to probation for smashing car windows and stealing. Afterward, he started helping others finance company registrations, earning up to 1% to 1.5% interest.
In March this year, Wang conceived the idea of defrauding his business partners. On March 30, Wang told Zhu and others that a friend needed 16 million yuan as start-up capital to open a company. He promised them a high daily interest rate of 1.5%. He asked Zhu and others to transfer the money to his bank account on April 1st. Unaware of any deception, Zhu and others transferred the full amount early on April 1st.
In reality, Wang had already opened accounts at several local banks days earlier and reserved large withdrawals for April 1st. At noon on April 1st, seeing the huge sum in his account, Wang attempted to withdraw 2 million yuan and subsequently deposited it into multiple accounts across different banks such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Construction Bank of China. By 10 a.m. on April 2nd, Wang had withdrawn all 16 million yuan in cash, which he packed into several large suitcases.
On the morning of April 2nd, Wang gave 500,000 yuan to his pregnant mistress, who was four or five months along. He then handed over 2 million yuan in cash to his brother-in-law, instructing him to use it to pay off car loans and take care of his mother and his daughter, who is in high school.
That afternoon, Wang purchased a new SUV worth 488,000 yuan using a fake ID in the urban area of Nantong. He loaded the remaining cash into six suitcases and drove to Weihai, Shandong. After driving continuously for ten hours, he successfully arrived at the previously booked rental house in Weihai.
Using the "ant moving" method to deposit money, Wang was caught red-handed at the bank. After realizing they had been defrauded, Zhu and four others quickly reported the incident to the police. The Nantong police swiftly formed a special investigation team to fully investigate the case. After visiting and investigating, the police discovered that Wang had inquired about housing prices in Weihai, Shandong, multiple times before the incident, speculating that he might have fled there. They proceeded to Weihai to pursue him.
At this point, Wang, carrying a large sum of stolen money, had already checked into a scenic room in Weihai and planned to purchase the property to reside there long-term. To deposit the stolen money into the bank, Wang carefully selected a local Weihai bank, believing smaller banks would not be scrutinized closely, and each time he only deposited around ten thousand yuan. Wang originally intended to use a fake ID to open an account to avoid detection but was recognized by the bank. Reluctantly, he used his real ID to open an account. To avoid drawing attention, Wang even bought a bicycle, parking his car far away from the bank and cycling to make deposits. Using the "ant moving" method, Wang managed to deposit 1.6 million yuan. Around 10 a.m. on April 11th, Wang was arrested again while attempting to make another deposit. The police found over 11 million yuan in cash at Wang's residence.
The pile of stolen money amounted to nearly one cubic meter, and it took the bank additional manpower five hours to count it all. According to the investigating officers, after being caught red-handed, Wang was escorted back with utmost caution. Seven police officers in two vehicles transported the money. One vehicle carried the money, and the other provided security. Four officers were armed to ensure the safe transportation of the money.
At 8 p.m. on April 11th, the money was escorted back to the Chongchuan branch, immediately sealed and stored in the gun vault. “The entire process was recorded and archived, and extra police forces were assigned for nighttime vigilance.” On the morning of April 12th, the investigating officers contacted a branch of Jiangsu Bank in the urban area of Nantong, requesting their staff to come to the Chongchuan branch to count and deposit the money. Upon hearing about the 11 million yuan in cash, the bank refused the suggestion, stating that armored vehicles and security personnel were required to transport the money to the bank before counting could commence.
According to the investigating officers, the six large boxes of cash stacked up to nearly one cubic meter. Even the bank manager in charge of counting said, “I’ve never seen so much money all at once.” The bank manager added that for this operation, they had to borrow counting machines from other banks; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to keep up. To prevent safety hazards, the bank deployed extra manpower and spent five hours counting the money.
Silent yet fond of women, the "two-faced" Wang was returned to Nantong today. Investigating officers are still unclear why Wang decided to abandon everything and flee with the stolen money. However, through financing methods, defrauding 16 million yuan in one go has never been seen before in Nantong. In this fraud case, victims extend far beyond just Zhu and the other four individuals, as much of the money was borrowed from relatives and friends.
According to the investigating officers, preliminary investigations revealed that Wang Jianhua was introverted, rarely communicating with relatives and having a poor relationship with his wife. They had been living separately since May of the previous year. After the separation, Wang lived with his mother, and his daughter was raised by his ex-wife. However, Wang was a "two-faced" person—on one hand, he was eloquent, and on the other, he was very fond of women. “Wang Jianhua’s mistress said that Wang was very popular among women, being easy-going and generous, but rarely mentioning his family or work details. Meanwhile, victim Zhu claimed that besides this mistress, Wang also had several girlfriends.”
Last night, the latest news indicated that after the incident, suspect Wang Jianhua was listed as a B-level fugitive by the Ministry of Public Security. Currently, Wang has been criminally detained and will be escorted back to Nantong today. The case is still under further investigation.