Prosecutor Shun-Shu Yang and Prosecutor Hung-Hua Ma of this Office commanded Fengyuan Precinct and Qingshui Precinct of Taichung City Police Department (TCPD), and the 5th and 7th Investigation Sections of Criminal Investigation Corps, TCPD to investigate the human trafficking case. The investigation has been completed, and the public prosecution has been initiated against the defendant Chiu ○○ who is currently in custody for this case and defendant Ms. A for their suspected offenses: Defendant Chiu ○○ was suspected of having been a swindler by means of causing the domestic victims to leave Taiwan (Paragraph 1 of Article 297, Criminal Code), attempting jointly with at least two other offenders to obtain money and/or property from other people by fraud (Paragraph 2, and subparagraph 2 of Paragraph 1, Article 339-4 of the Code), participating a criminal organization (Paragraph 1 of Article 3, Organized Crime Prevention Act), and using such means as force, threat, monitoring, and the abuse of another person ’ s inability or helplessness to subject him/her to labor to which pay is not commensurate with the work duty for profit (Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 32, Human Trafficking Prevention Act). Defendant Ms. A was suspected of having been a swindler by means of causing the domestic victims to leave Taiwan (Paragraph 1 of Article 297, Criminal Code).

　　According to the findings of the investigation, defendant Chiu ○○ and certain persons whose personal data including real names, ages and so on are unknown constituted a fraud and human trafficking criminal gang (hereinafter referred to as the “fraud gang”) consisting of more than 3 people. First, in June and July 2022, to lure defendant Ms. A to go abroad, defendant Chiu lied to Ms. A that she could go to Thailand to apply for a loan and help buy Thai amulets and that she would be remunerated TWD1.5 million after returning to Taiwan. Thus, defendant Chiu ○○ received a daily remuneration of TWD2,000 from the fraud gang. After Ms. A arrived in Thailand, a member of the fraud gang whose personal data including real name, age, etc. are unknown took over Ms. A’s passport, and then took her to a certain water front where she drifted to the KK Park in Myanmar by way of stowing away. Ms. A no longer had a passport, and was unfamiliar with the place and the people in Myanmar. Trapped in a vulnerable situation where it was impossible or difficult to seek help, she had no choice of other jobs. Hence, she accepted the arrangement of the gang members to commit fraud by operating telecommunications equipment and against unspecified foreigners in the name of investing in gold, etc. The gang members used the poor performance of Ms. A as an excuse so as not to offer her any remuneration for her telecommunications fraud. As of a certain day in August 2022, in order to have a chance to return to Taiwan as soon as possible, Ms. A cooperated with the fraud gang in the search for another victim (Mr. B, detailed below), and after retrieving her passport, she returned to Taiwan on August 23, 2022.

　　Defendant Ms. A, knowing that there was no loan in Thailand, was looking for another Taiwanese national to leave Taiwan for Myanmar to work in the KK Park so that she herself could return to Taiwan as soon as possible. Ms. A actually conspired with defendant Chiu ○○, and in July 2022 she lied to the victim Mr. B using the LINE communication software: To apply for a loan of 1.5 million dollars in Thailand only needs to pay 200 thousand while he would actually get 1.3 million; he only needs to stay in Thailand for 7 days, and after the bank passed the review, he could then return to Taiwan, etc. She deceived Mr. B with this kind of story. Defendant Chiu ○○ applied for Mr. B’s passport, booked air ticket for him, and accompanied him to board an airplane and go abroad. Defendant Chiu ○○ received a daily remuneration of TWD2,000 from the fraud gang. After Mr. B arrived in Thailand, a member of the fraud gang whose personal data including real name, age, etc. are unknown took over Mr. B’s passport and cell phone, and controlled his freedom of movement, taking him to a certain water front and having him drift to the KK Park in Myanmar by way of stowing away. At the KK Park, the gang members whose personal data including real name, age, etc. are unknown monitored Mr. B and forced him to operate telecommunications equipment to defraud unspecified foreigners in the form of fake love and fake investment. If Mr. B felt drowsy during work, he was physically punished by gang members to do 50 to 100 push-ups. Mr. B could not bear this treatment. On August 2, 2022, he took the opportunity to escape along the underground passage of the Park. Subsequently Mr. B asked for help from the Thai police. Finally, with the assistance of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand he returned to Taiwan on September 2, 2022. The prosecutor and police followed the clues to find out the foregoing occurrence.

　　In order to enforce search and arrest of the criminal organizations abducting Taiwanese nationals to Cambodia and even causing them to become victims of overseas human trafficking and be forced to prostitute or engage in criminal acts, this Office has already established the "Task Force to Strengthen Combating Criminal Organizations and Overseas Human Trafficking", and will continuously command the judicial police within the areas under the Office’s jurisdiction to actively investigate whether illegal gangs in the areas have engaged in illegal activities of luring the people to go abroad for the purpose of human trafficking so as to protect the life, body, freedom and safety of Taiwanese nationals from harm.