I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 16 Theft Report
Han Ling wasn't very good at mediation. After talking to the man for half an hour and seeing that he wouldn't budge, she stopped trying and handed the matter over to the experienced seniors in the mediation room.

Mediation was his duty, and Han Ling didn't really care. He had seen far more disgusting people, and that crazy woman was nothing compared to her.

When he arrived at the interrogation room, he listened to the sounds coming from inside.

"Whether hitting someone is illegal or not, you tell me!"

"Driving against traffic, hitting someone, and then assaulting them! Don't they realize how serious this is?!"

My colleague is still lecturing her, and she sounds a bit angry. It seems that even at the police station, the woman's attitude is still not very good.

As time went on, the woman became frightened when she learned that she was likely to be detained. Cries and repeated apologies filled the interrogation room.

Han Ling leaned against the wall, looking up slightly at the ceiling of the corridor.

An apology is not the same as knowing you were wrong.

Many people had cried and begged for forgiveness in front of him, but he knew that these people were not repentant, but simply afraid.

Crying and begging for mercy, utterly pathetic, he had lost all his dignity.

Compared to these cowardly bullies, Han Ling prefers tough guys who can remain calm even when facing death. Tough guys don't admit their mistakes; they only admit defeat.

Those who accept defeat deserve at least respect.

Han Ling never believed that anyone could sincerely admit their mistakes; if they did, it was an exception, very rare.

The case was being handled until 5 p.m. Zhu Yue returned and, after learning what had happened, praised Han Ling's work.

Mediation continued, and the veteran police officer, being a veteran officer, eventually persuaded the man to agree to a settlement. Once the settlement was reached, the issue of compensation became simple.

The man asked for 10,000, which scared the woman, who was only willing to give 500.

The difference between 10,000 and 500 is quite significant.

Zhu Yue told Han Ling that 10,000 was a bit exaggerated, but it wouldn't amount to malicious extortion. Depending on the situation, the man's medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for emotional distress would all add up to about 2,000 to 3,000. It all depended on whether the man would persist.

If she insists on demanding 10,000, she will definitely pay if the woman strongly resists detention.

Ultimately, both parties reached an agreement, ending the farce with a compensation of six thousand yuan.

The woman lost 6,000 yuan after just a couple of blows; she must be heartbroken. But she'll learn from this experience and the other party will definitely not dare to mess around again.

Personality cannot be changed, and the resulting behavioral impulses are also difficult to change, but the law can suppress behavior, which is why the law exists.

"Xiao Wang and his team are still following up on that fraud case. It's almost over. Come on, I'll take you to see it so you can familiarize yourself with the case-handling procedures beforehand, and we can grab some dinner tonight."

Zhu Yue plans to involve Han Ling and another person in a criminal case.

Just as I stepped into the lobby, a young man walked in through the door, carrying a long object wrapped in a burlap sack, looking around.

Zhu Yue glanced at it, his gaze sharpening slightly. He immediately reached for his waist with his right hand and shouted sternly, "What are you carrying?! Put it down!!"

The sound echoed, causing a commotion throughout the hall, and all the on-duty police officers rushed over.

"Put your stuff down!"

The young man was startled and quickly threw away the sack.

"move back!"

The young man was very obedient and obediently retreated five meters, saying, "I...I'm here to hand over my gun..."

Han Ling followed behind Zhu Yue, watching as his colleague opened the sack, revealing a homemade rifle and several packs of bullets inside.

Actually, he had already seen it and knew that there was most likely a gun inside. If the young man had come with an aggressive attitude, he certainly wouldn't have swaggered into the police station with a sack wrapped around his arm, so he didn't react much.

Zhu Yue is a veteran police officer and is quite cautious, which is normal procedure. What if something unexpected happens? There are indeed crazy people who would dare to attack a police station.

When his colleagues asked what happened, the young man said he found the gun while cleaning his grandfather's old house. He had seen a notice posted by the police station about handing over firearms for legal education purposes, and worried that keeping it would cause trouble, so he took the gun.

It was a misunderstanding; the institute praised the young man's behavior and even wanted to apply for a bonus.

Zhu Yue didn't pay much attention and left the police station with Han Ling.

At this moment, a middle-aged man entered the gate in a hurry. Upon seeing Zhu Yue and the others, he asked loudly, "Hello, officer, may I ask, is this where you report a crime?"

"Report a police report?" Zhu Yue moved his hand away from the car door. "It's here. What's going on?"

A middle-aged man approached and said, "I work at a scrap metal recycling station. We've had a lot of thefts lately, so I'm here to report it." Seeing it was a theft, Zhu Yue became serious: "What was stolen? How much is it worth?"

“Metal,” the middle-aged man replied immediately. After a moment’s thought, he added, “It’ll be worth five or six thousand yuan.”

Five or six thousand yuan exceeds the threshold for filing a theft case, and the amount is considered "relatively large," so it needs to be taken seriously.

"You just said a year?" Zhu Yue asked, puzzled. "Why did you only report it a year later?"

The middle-aged man sighed: "At first, there were often tens of yuan missing from the goods. Later, the total amount per month increased to several hundred. I thought it was a mistake in the accounting or the weight, so I didn't pay attention. But in the last two months, there have been many more missing items, more than a thousand yuan."

"And another thing, several dozen kilograms of copper wire I collected a week ago are gone. That's when I realized something was wrong. Someone must have stolen it, and they specifically targeted my collection station. What kind of thief is that!"

Zhu Yue nodded slightly, then called out to the police reception hall, "Xiao Li!"

Soon, the young police officer rushed out: "Team Leader Zhu, what's the matter?"

Zhu Yue pointed at the middle-aged man and said, "Register his information and report the theft to the police."

"Okay." Little Li waved, "Come in with me."

After the two left, Zhu Yue said, "Let's not go to the fraud case anymore. Let's go to the scrap metal recycling station to check things out. For the new case, you should learn more, ask more questions, and observe more."

Han Ling responded, her mind already instinctively analyzing the situation.

Scrap metal collection stations should have private surveillance cameras.

The fact that he stole from only one scrap metal recycling station for a whole year, stealing five or six thousand yuan without being discovered speaks volumes. Putting ourselves in the suspect's shoes, it would be most convenient for an insider to do so.

It's highly likely that it was done by an insider.

If it was indeed an inside job, the case can be solved as long as the suspect's modus operandi can be found.

The middle-aged man quickly walked out of the hall. He had driven there, and after a brief exchange, they drove off separately.

The scrap metal recycling station isn't far away, only a five or six-minute drive. Otherwise, the owner wouldn't have come to call the police himself; he could have just dialed 110.

"Wow, this is a huge operation. No wonder they don't care about a few hundred yuan." Zhu Yue was the one who spoke as the group parked their car and walked into the scrap metal recycling station.

This scrap metal recycling station is quite large, and it must have been converted from an old factory. Looking around, all kinds of scrap are piled up like mountains, and the air is filled with a mixed smell of plastic, metal, and cardboard.

Not far away, two German Shepherds were also tied up.

The dog was very aggressive, barking incessantly at strangers, its sharp teeth gleaming coldly.

The boss yelled at them, and the two dogs, not daring to disobey their master, tucked their tails between their legs and returned to their den.

Han Ling glanced around and saw that with a guard dog present, the possibility of a stranger committing the crime continued to decrease, while the possibility of an insider committing the crime continued to increase.

After the German Shepherd quieted down, the boss responded to Zhu Yue's words: "It's not big, it's considered medium-sized in Qingchang, and it only earns about 10,000 yuan a month."

He was very modest, saying that 10,000 yuan was a lot of money; back in 2009, the salary for a tenured employee was only a little over 2,000 yuan.

Han Ling took the initiative to ask, "The ten thousand yuan you mentioned, is that after deducting all costs? Including the salaries of these employees?"

Three men could already be seen working busily in the distance.

The boss nodded: "Yes."

Han Ling: "How many employees are there in total at the station?"

The boss replied, "Four. Look, there's another girl over there."

Han Ling looked over and saw a little girl sorting through old cardboard boxes and scrap paper in the distance. He hadn't noticed her earlier because the boxes were blocking his view.

The other person was very young, looking only fifteen or sixteen years old.

The boss seemed to have guessed what Han Ling was thinking and quickly explained, "She's sixteen years old. I've seen her ID card."

The law prohibits the use of child labor (for those under the age of sixteen).

Han Ling responded with an "oh".

At this moment, Zhu Yue lowered his voice: "Boss, have you ever suspected any employees?"

Han Ling turned her head; it seemed the team leader had also immediately thought of this.

(End of this chapter)