On the morning of June 12, the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau held a special press conference on "Cracking the Jiangning 'May 16' Major Gold Theft Case," briefing the investigation and returning the involved property.

It was reported that a major gold theft recently occurred in Jiangning District, Nanjing, where 27 kilograms of gold, valued at over 27 million yuan, were stolen from a shop. Following the incident, public security organs at the provincial, municipal, and district levels swiftly coordinated, establishing a special task force with senior provincial leaders overseeing the command and municipal leaders directly managing operations.

The task force pursued leads across eight provinces, utilized the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism to conduct a cross-border arrest operation, and successfully apprehended all 11 suspects, recovering all 27 kilograms of gold. This case is the largest gold theft by value cracked in China to date.

Li Dahai, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau, stated that this was a meticulously organized criminal gang with clear roles and thorough premeditation. Over more than half a month of relentless effort, all participating officers worked day and night, meticulously analyzing clues and leveraging national cross-regional and international police cooperation mechanisms to solve the case. From the outset, the task force integrated solving the case with recovering the stolen goods, aiming to maximize the recovery of property losses for the victims.

Swiftly identifying the suspect, arresting the perpetrator attempting to flee

After the crime, the task force quickly identified a suspicious man through data analysis and comprehensive assessment, confirming him as the perpetrator, Tong. Tracking indicated he disappeared near a remote village in Jiangning District, leading to the assessment that he likely fled via highway.

Han Ting, Captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Nanjing Public Security Bureau Jiangning Branch, explained that after checking 2,273 passing vehicles, they found Tong had hitched a ride near the ring expressway around 5 a.m. on May 16, changed destinations multiple times en route, and arrived in Nanning, Guangxi, around 9 p.m. on May 17.

The task force quickly deployed officers already on assignment in Guangxi. With full cooperation from police in Nanning and Chongzuo and border management departments, Tong was arrested in the early hours of May 18 just over 100 meters from the China-Vietnam border as he was about to illegally cross, with 8.75 kilograms of gold seized on the spot.

Cross-border collaboration and sustained effort lead to full recovery of 27kg gold

During the investigation, detailed technical examination and electronic data analysis revealed that multiple individuals had entered the crime scene to scout it over a month before the theft. Assessment identified a suspect surnamed Wang as having major involvement. Further investigation found Wang had fled to Bangkok, Thailand, by plane on the afternoon of the crime day.

The task force promptly activated international police cooperation mechanisms. With strong coordination from senior provincial public security leaders, Thai police successfully arrested Wang in Bangkok on May 23 and extradited him back to Nanjing on May 29. Searches of Wang's residence and other hiding places led to the seizure of 13.2 kilograms of gold.

As key suspects were apprehended, further investigation revealed a meticulously planned gang crime. The principal suspect Wang was responsible for overall command, Tong carried out the theft, and another suspect Zhang arranged reception. On the evening of May 21, the task force arrested Zhang, who was preparing to flee, at Wenzhou Longwan International Airport. Through analysis of massive data, other individuals involved in handling the stolen goods were subsequently arrested in multiple locations.

Zhong Jun, Head of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau, stated that over more than ten days of intense effort, the task force employed a combination of traditional and modern investigative techniques, meticulously unraveling clues, tracking leads, and conducting in-depth checks to solve this complex case characterized by careful planning, covert connections, tight organization, clear hierarchy, and novel criminal methods.

The investigation found that Wang and Tong connected online. Wang devised the plan, and Tong executed the theft. Both are postgraduate graduates, with Wang being an outstanding employee at his company. They incurred massive debts from online gambling during university and took the risk out of desperation.

Using the case to drive improvements, comprehensively strengthening security for key enterprises

While fully investigating the case, the Jiangning Branch proactively addressed the security vulnerabilities exposed. They quickly organized public security, criminal investigation, and local police station personnel to conduct a comprehensive "health-check" style security assessment for the victimized shop, promoting full intelligent warning coverage for key areas.

Li Xiang, Deputy District Chief of Jiangning District and Director of the District Public Security Bureau, explained that they launched a month-long "dragnet" internal security inspection for key units across the district, including gold shops, jewelry stores, pawnshops, luxury goods recycling shops, and bank branches. They are implementing dynamic "one-enterprise-one-file" management, establishing rapid-response police-enterprise joint prevention groups, regularly pushing security warning information, and guiding key units in conducting anti-intrusion and anti-theft emergency drills to effectively enhance internal security awareness and self-protection capabilities.

It was reported at the press conference that this year, Nanjing police have deepened the crackdown on theft, robbery, and fraud, fully integrating police resources, optimizing work mechanisms, and clarifying responsibility chains. To date, the clearance rate for traditional theft, robbery, and fraud cases citywide has increased by 12.5 percentage points year-on-year.

Following the press conference, a ceremony was held to return the stolen property. The victimized enterprise presented a banner to the task force praising their swift action and recovery of the stolen gold.

Li Ying, Director of the Organization and Publicity Department of the Nanjing Municipal Public Security Bureau and host of the press conference, stated that fighting crime and safeguarding peace are the enduring duties of the public security organs. The principles of "quick detection and resolution, recovery of stolen goods, and apprehension of fugitives" represent not only a determination to eradicate evil but also a solemn commitment to public expectations. Moving forward, they will use this as a new starting point, maintaining a high-pressure stance and striking hard. Regardless of where suspects flee or where stolen goods flow, they will pursue them relentlessly without leniency, using concrete actions to combat crime and protect the safety and well-being of the people.