The Nanjing police have successfully cracked a major gold theft case, recovering all 27 kilograms of stolen gold valued at over 27 million yuan.

In a recent press conference regarding the "5.16" major gold theft in Jiangning District, authorities revealed that a special task force pursued the case across eight provinces. Leveraging the Lancang-Mekong cooperation framework for cross-border collaboration with Thai police, they successfully apprehended all 11 suspects and recovered the entire 27 kilograms of gold.

Through data analysis and comprehensive investigation, Nanjing police swiftly identified the primary thief, a suspect surnamed Tong. After the crime, Tong disappeared near a remote village in Jiangning District. Analysis suggested he likely fled via highway transportation. The Jiangning District Public Security Bureau immediately launched an inspection of passing vehicles and eventually traced his movements.

"We meticulously checked 2,273 passing vehicles and ultimately discovered that Tong hitched a ride near the ring expressway around 5 a.m. on May 16. He changed destinations multiple times during the journey and arrived in Nanning, Guangxi, around 9 p.m. on May 17," explained Han Ting, head of the criminal investigation brigade of the Jiangning District Public Security Bureau.

Nanjing police promptly coordinated with officers already on assignment in Guangxi. With the full cooperation of police in Nanning and Chongzuo, as well as border management authorities, they captured Tong at approximately midnight on May 18, just over 100 meters from the China-Vietnam border as he was attempting to illegally cross. They seized 8.75 kilograms of gold on the spot.

During the investigation, the task force's detailed technical examination and electronic data analysis revealed that multiple individuals had entered the crime scene on numerous occasions for reconnaissance over a month before the theft. Further assessment identified a suspect surnamed Wang as a major person of interest. Additional investigation found that Wang had fled to Bangkok, Thailand, by plane on the afternoon of the theft day.

The task force quickly activated international police cooperation mechanisms. Through high-level coordination by provincial public security authorities, 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 several other hiding places led to the recovery of 13.2 kilograms of gold.

The task force's deeper investigation uncovered that this was a meticulously planned organized crime. The principal suspect, Wang, was responsible for overall command, while Tong carried out the actual theft. Another suspect, surnamed Zhang, was in charge of arranging the getaway.

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, they subsequently apprehended several individuals involved in receiving the stolen goods in multiple locations.

A ceremony was held to return the stolen property to the victimized business, which presented a banner to the task force expressing gratitude for their swift, long-distance pursuit of the thieves and their determined recovery of every gram of gold to protect the people's assets.