A task force is investigating threatening letters from China received by several district chiefs in New Taipei City and Tainan containing doctored photographs and a WeChat account ID, police said today.
The district chiefs received the unidentified letters that said to open them personally, finding lewd photos that appeared to be artificially piece together with a WeChat account, reports said.
The letters reportedly contained a message written in simplified Chinese characters informing the recipient that if they want to “handle the matter as soon as possible,” they could contact the Wechat account or call the provided telephone number.
Photo courtesy of Tainan City Councilor Lee Chong-lim’s office
The postmark on the envelope indicates it was sent from China’s Hainan Province from the Communist Youth League of China.
In New Taipei City, the chiefs subsequently reported the letters to police and informed the city government.
At least three district chiefs in Tainan also reportedly received the letters, some of whom have already reported them to their local offices.
The New Taipei City Government has directed police to investigate the case, the city’s Department of Civil Affairs said.
The background and locations of the photos were the same, suggesting that they were computer-generated, the New Taipei City Police Criminal Investigation Corps said.
Police informed the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and formed a special task force to investigate the identity of the culprit and their motive, they said.
Sending threatening letters with fake sexual images constitutes multiple crimes, including intimidation under the Criminal Code and invasion of privacy, police said.
Authorities would investigate and prosecute any illegal activities in accordance with the law, they said.
Tainan City Councilor Lee Chong-lim (李宗霖) of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party told a news conference today that evidence has been handed over to Tainan prosecutors.
Additional reporting by Wu Chun-feng
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