Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 552 Emergency Action

"This is... a Ponzi scheme, isn't it?"

"Damn it, how can a person be so immoral?"

"A 30% return? You're kidding me! How could anyone believe in something that seems too good to be true?"

"Oh my God!"

"How much money did they swindle? Is there any chance of getting it back?"

The police officers discussed the matter animatedly, their professional instincts immediately revealing the extent of the trouble.

Their first thought wasn't how to catch these swindlers, but whether the money they'd been swindled out was still in the Mao family's accounts, still in China, and whether they could get the victims to accept the facts.

"Wait a minute! Is this an investment or a high-interest deposit?"

Wang Guofeng, his face ashen, stopped the crowd from discussing. He hadn't expected Nie Guoqiang to suddenly bring such a huge trouble to their Economic Crime Investigation Detachment.

Even as a professional, Wang Guofeng thought even more deeply. Turning to Nie Guoqiang, she said, "Old Nie, help me find out exactly what's going on! I just hope they're using deposits to scam people! I really hope it's not an investment scheme, otherwise this will become even more complicated! Often at this point, all they need to do is say that investments are risky, and then they can find a good legal counsel and a scapegoat legal representative, and this matter will be impossible to resolve!"

"Oh, right, there's such a saying! Nie Guoqiang, quickly find out the details."

Wang Bin's face darkened.

Normally, explaining investment losses simply allows investors to accept their fate. However, when investors are often poorly educated, have limited assets, or are even farmers who depend on this money for their livelihood, losing everything can easily lead to various violent incidents, including riots and even deaths. Ignorant farmers, tricked into investing, tricked into losing everything, and tricked into utter despair, are capable of anything in such a state.

If there are even cases of people being tricked into borrowing money to invest, the consequences will be even worse. At that point, it won't just be a matter of hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of victims, but a cataclysmic situation for the entire rural area of ​​Zhangzhou.

Nie Guoqiang raised his head, his face grim, and shook his head, saying, "The specific situation is still unclear. Ma Baifen and his men are being held back outside the grain station. We don't dare to alert them by forcibly breaking in. They urgently need our support."

"The police were stopped outside? Are they inciting the victims to rebel?"

A municipal bureau official exclaimed in surprise.

"..."

The discussion immediately intensified; the situation was far more complicated than anticipated. If some unsuspecting farmers had indeed been tricked into resisting the police, this matter couldn't be resolved by the police alone.

"I'll contact the municipal party committee right away!"

Without hesitation, Wang Bin pulled out his phone. Now, all parties needed to work together to handle this matter. Even if the funds had already been transferred, the government needed to quickly provide funds to appease the victims.

In short, three words: don't mess it up!

Absolutely no chaos!
Even if we're forced to use municipal funds to plug this hole first, we absolutely cannot allow the situation to descend into chaos! Although the police can curse the victims here as foolish, greedy, or even idiotic, once they're on the scene, they'll have to beg them to calm down and assure them that the government will support them. They must believe that the government will stand up for them and that their money won't go down the drain. We must find ways to make them believe in the country and that this will pass peacefully.

"I'll contact the bank too!"

Yang Ye also acted quickly, deciding to monitor the Mao family's financial accounts first, regardless of the consequences.

“Contact the People’s Bank of China directly! I suspect there are problems within the Municipal Rural Commercial Bank. This case was first detected through unusual activity at the Rural Commercial Bank. Without collusion between insiders and outsiders, with so many transactions, the bank couldn’t possibly have ignored it!”

Nie Guoqiang calmly offered his reminder.

Yang Ye paused for a moment, then nodded. Indeed, it was impossible for a few individuals running a Ponzi scheme to launder such a large sum of money. Whether the Mao family received cash or made direct bank transfers, such a large financial project couldn't possibly go unnoticed by the banks. The essence of this case was actually quite simple: illegal fundraising would be exposed in the system if the banks paid even a little attention.

Wang Bin turned to look at Wang Guofeng, his expression serious, and said, "Old Wang, your Economic Investigation Department must take action immediately! But it's May Day right now, and other units can't spare any manpower for you. You'll have to shoulder this responsibility yourselves. Is that alright?"

Wang Guofeng thought about it for a moment and nodded seriously.

"No problem! As long as we control Mao Xiaoming, Mao Xiaoliang, and Yang Yuhua immediately, this matter won't cause any major trouble. We discovered this early, before they could completely clean up the mess. As long as we have sufficient evidence and there isn't too much outflow of funds, we can take our time with other matters. Even if innocent people are being lured by them, as long as the money is in our hands, it's easy to resolve. As long as we meet their reasonable demands, the people won't cause too much trouble."

"Teao?"

Wang Bin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! Turning illegal activities into legal, or at least superficially legal, investment businesses isn't actually that complicated if you have professionals to help. At least in first- and second-tier cities, this kind of money-making under the guise of investment is quite common, and our economic crime investigation department has some experience with it. Of course, if they manage to pull off the whole process and transfer the assets, it won't be easy for us to intervene and arrest them. But considering that Mao Xiaoming and his gang target ignorant farmers, it's unlikely they can make sure every step is flawless. If they really had that ability, wouldn't they make even more money by luring rich people? Hehe... Of course, it would also be easy for them to be exposed."

Wang Guofeng was the first to regain her composure, and at this moment she was even in the mood to joke with Wang Bin.

His attitude helped the other police officers calm down as well. Indeed, as Wang Guofeng said, as long as the suspect was apprehended in time and the money was properly returned to the victim, the matter was not particularly complicated to handle.

"Of course, it is still necessary to notify the municipal government and seek the active cooperation of various township agencies. In particular, compiling a list of victims and the amount of money lost is a huge project that will take a long time."

Wang Guofeng stood up, packing his things as he said, "In short, leave the superficial matters to me. I'll lead the arrests right away. Let me know as soon as possible if there's any news from the bank. Different situations require different strategies. If the vast majority of the funds have already been successfully transferred by this group, then we'll need the help of the industry and commerce department, the municipal party committee, and even the armed police. The despair of the people who have been swindled out of everything cannot be soothed with just a few words."

"Leave this matter to us, and all others who can cooperate in this case, please take action! Furthermore, this case absolutely cannot affect the daily travel and lives of ordinary people during the May Day holiday. From this moment on, all police stations and patrol units must strictly supervise and no one is allowed to slack off! I don't want to hear about any major chaos at this time. Everything must be done thoroughly while maintaining stability. Dismissed!"

With Wang Bin's order, the meeting was immediately adjourned, and everyone sprang into action.

Whether a major case that evolved from a Ponzi scheme will be resolved quickly or escalate into a major problem affecting the stability of the entire Zhangzhou City depends on whether the police act promptly and accurately.

"Old Ma, did you hear that? Send your men over there to keep a close eye on Yang Yuhua! If she dares to leave the grain station, arrest her immediately. But if she's still hiding inside, we'll wait for the main force to arrive before discussing a specific plan."

Yang Ye had maintained contact with Ma Baifen, and was issuing orders as he walked out.

"Hiss... How long will this take?"

Ma Baifen seemed somewhat disagreed, hesitatingly asking, "Director Yang, I still have some influence in Shili Town. How about I have a proper talk with the people at the grain station? Knowing that Yang Yuhua committed a crime, they shouldn't be able to help her. The villagers might be trying to gain some advantage, but ultimately they were deceived by the Mao family. Once I explain the facts to them, they will understand the situation and cooperate with the police, without causing any trouble."

"As long as you don't get away from Yang Yuhua, you can judge the rest yourself."

Yang Ye did not issue any forceful orders.

Ultimately, each situation needs to be analyzed individually. Currently, people have only seen the video secretly filmed by the police cat Mimi and know that such a Ponzi scheme exists, but they do not understand the specific situation at present.

As the highest-ranking person at the scene, Ma Baifen is the one who understands the situation best and is indeed qualified and has the right to judge how to enforce the law. Police investigations are conducted according to local conditions; they never treat every officer as a robot that can only follow orders. Of course, if a judgment is wrong, the officer will be held responsible, and that depends on each person's ability and competence.

After hanging up the phone, Ma Baifen rubbed his aching lower back and took off his hat to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He never imagined that he would encounter such a major case so close to retirement. While the amount of money involved might not be the highest among all the cases handled by the Zhangzhou Economic Investigation Department, the number of people involved and the identities of the victims were not to be underestimated. Some people who are scammed out of millions only feel the pain, while others who are scammed out of tens of thousands are left destitute. This difference, and the reactions after discovering they have been scammed, left Ma Baifen no room for complacency.

"Mimi, can you do me another favor? Lead these cats and sneak in again, and keep an eye on Yang Yuhua to make sure she doesn't run away in another direction. I'm worried we've already alerted her, so please keep an eye on things inside for me."

"Ow~"

Lingo nodded, turned around, flicked his tail, and led the cats to the side of the courtyard wall.

There was a drainage pipe there that allowed cats and dogs to come and go, and also allowed Lingo to bypass the watchful security guards at the gate and re-enter the grain station.

Ma then gave orders to the people in the police station, requiring everyone to put down their work and come over here immediately.

After thinking for a moment, he called the village committee officials from several nearby villages, asking them to come to the grain station entrance to help immediately. Although he was worried that some of them might be colluding with the grain station or had also invested a large sum of money, he still needed them to appease the victims. Moreover, village committee officials were the most common leaders seen by farmers, and sometimes their words were more effective than any words spoken by higher-ups. In this situation, it was essential for them to maintain order at the scene.

Ma Baifen knew perfectly well that everything he was doing was based on the assumption that the deceived people were rebelling or being coerced by Mao's family, and was a corresponding plan.

If everything goes smoothly and everyone is sensible and doesn't cause trouble, that would be best. When the time comes, once the person is caught, the funds are controlled, and the money is returned, the case will be easily closed.

But if someone is ignorant or even instigates it... then we'll have to resort to heavy-handed measures!

"My fellow villagers, please don't do anything foolish! I'd rather all the preparations we've made, even all the preparations and hard work of the Municipal Bureau, be in vain than have you do something that can't be undone."

Ma Baifen sighed and ordered Zhao Zhigang and others to monitor the situation inside the grain depot and patiently wait for the arrival of reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Lin Ge, who had slipped back into the grain depot, found that the atmosphere in the office building had become much more somber.

The door to the deceptive meeting room was already open, and several people were hurriedly packing up their belongings, or in other words, destroying evidence. Meanwhile, the office phone kept ringing. Yang Yuhua stood at the office door, anxiously ordering her subordinates to do various tasks. She held a phone in each hand, and every now and then the phone would ring. She would quickly whisper something to the other end, hang up, and then anxiously stamp her feet.

Lin Ge even saw someone burning something in the office, clearly doing the work of destroying evidence.

In other words, the police operation has alerted the suspects; it's just unclear at which point they tipped off the Mao family. Of course, it doesn't matter now! The police have already taken action; do you think they can escape?
Lin Ge didn't intend to be a lone hero and stop them from destroying evidence, because such details were completely insignificant. At most, it would just make the cleanup a little harder later; it wouldn't let them escape punishment.

He glanced down at the camera on the collar to make sure the light was on and the lens was working, then led the cats as if to stroll and play, but in reality, he kept a close eye on the camera the whole time.

"This cat?"

Yang Yuhua, who had ordered a female clerk to hide a document, turned her head and saw several cats near a flowerpot not far away. Most of them looked familiar, but one chubby silver shaded cat wearing a collar seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Yang Yuhua assumed that one of the workers had brought his pet cat over and didn't think much of it.

Looking back at the busy scene in the offices, she felt a little nervous but quickly forced herself to calm down, telling herself that nothing would happen.

My son just said on the phone that the government wouldn't dare do anything to our family! This is a fundraising effort involving several thousand people; the money is tightly held by our family, so the government wouldn't dare arrest anyone arbitrarily. After all, the government is afraid of causing social unrest, and if our family compromises a little, it will definitely end peacefully. My son said he'll find someone to put in a good word for us; the worst-case scenario is that we'll honestly return the money to those people and that's it.

To put it more bluntly, at most it's just an economic crime punishable by a few years. But if you have money, won't you be able to live comfortably after a few years in prison?
Moreover, her son had already found a scapegoat, so she, as a mother, didn't need to worry at all.

Thinking of this, Yang Yuhua couldn't help but smile.

But just then, she turned her head and was shocked to see several police officers barging in menacingly.

The few useless security guards who were supposed to stop them outside were being scolded by a group of people who looked like village officials, and they hadn't done anything to them.

Panicked, Yang Yuhua quickly turned and hid in the office.

"Yang Yuhua!"

Ma Baifen naturally recognized Yang Yuhua. As soon as he looked up and saw her, he immediately shouted, "Do you know you've committed a crime? Stop right there! What's the use of running now? If you don't cooperate with our work, you'll be punished even more severely!"

"..."

For some inexplicable reason, Yang Yuhua, who had just been full of confidence, suddenly felt her legs go weak and barely managed to stand up by holding onto the wall.

A middle-aged woman next to her, who was holding a folder, was even more distressed; she loosened her grip and scattered various papers all over the floor.

A piece of paper drifted away like a kite with a broken string, eventually landing near a flowerpot. This moving object immediately caught the attention of several cats, who curiously walked over and pressed their paws onto the paper, instantly freezing it to the ground.

The cat sniffed the paper, found nothing interesting, flicked its whiskers, and then ignored it.

Lin Ge glanced down and saw an investment agreement with signatures and fingerprints at the bottom. Just as Wang Guofeng on the other end of the phone had predicted, the Mao family had used the guise of high-interest loans to deceive people into investing, making the whole matter even more complicated.

A quick glance at the document revealed that everything else was just standard procedure, except for the words at the very bottom, "The final interpretation right belongs to Party A," which made Lin Ge feel utterly disgusted.

Lin Ge knew that such wording was not protected by law and had no legal effect as a contract. However, it was easy to use to fool people who didn't understand the law, and even some farmers who couldn't distinguish between investment and lending.

If Lin Ge and the police hadn't discovered this beforehand, how many people would have been fooled by that statement and then bitterly given up on pursuing their claims when the truth finally came out?
Lin Ge couldn't explain it clearly.

At this moment, Ma Baifen led his men up to the second floor in a menacing manner. Two police officers took Yang Yuhua into custody without hesitation, and the others immediately took control of the scene to prevent others from destroying evidence.

Many people downstairs heard the commotion and curiously gathered around to look up from the first floor.

Upon discovering that the police's target was Boss Yang, several of them immediately changed their expressions and wanted to become his protectors. However, they were stopped by Zhao Zhigang at the corner of the stairs and given a stern rebuke, which made them back down and temporarily restrain themselves.

"Why are you arresting me! What did I do wrong! So what if you're a policeman? Does that mean you can just barge into other people's property and arrest them? You're bullying innocent civilians! You're harming the innocent! I'm going to sue you! I'm going to report you to the procuratorate! Where are the people from the grain station? Come help me! These people aren't real policemen, they're all bad guys! Help me get rid of them, and I'll give you a bonus!"

Yang Yuhua struggled and shouted loudly, even tempting the grain station workers downstairs to fight against the police.

Sure enough, as soon as she said that, several middle-aged men downstairs exchanged glances, all somewhat tempted.

Seeing Zhao Zhigang and Feng Yi blocking the stairwell, the group cautiously approached, eager to try their luck.

(End of this chapter)