Cutting off election banners just because they are "beautiful"? Hualien Ji'an police arrest wanted criminal

A female village representative candidate in Shoufeng Township had her campaign banner hung at the intersection of Zhongxing Street and Renai Street cut off with scissors and stolen. The Ji'an police reviewed the surveillance cameras and identified a 47-year-old man surnamed Zhou, who was arrested on serious suspicion. They found out that Mr. Zhou He was also involved in the theft of three other campaign banners, specifically targeting female candidates. He was a wanted criminal issued by the Hualien District Prosecutor's Office in April this year. The police brought him to justice on suspicion of damage, theft, and violation of the Law on Election and Recall of Public Officials.

Ji'an Police Station pointed out today that a female candidate in Shoufeng hung a campaign banner at the intersection of Zhongxing Street and Renai Street in Shoufeng Township on the 1st. On the afternoon of the 2nd, she discovered that the banner was missing and quickly called the police. After receiving the report, the Ji'an branch immediately set up a task force to investigate surrounding surveillance footage during the election period. It was discovered that at about 3 o'clock in the evening on the 2nd, a man passed by on a bicycle, then returned to the banner, took out the scissors hidden in his body, cut the rope used to fix it, and stole the campaign banner. The police pointed out that the cut on the cloth rope was flat and it was suspected that it had been cut with a sharp tool.

The task force filtered and compared the surveillance images, and on the 5th, they identified a 47-year-old man surnamed Zhou in Shoufeng's jurisdiction as a suspect and arrested him at his door. The police investigation found that Zhou Nan not only stole this one piece of cloth, but was involved in a total of 4 cases. 4 election banners were seized, and a total of 3 candidates were harmed. It is understood that the candidates who had the banners stolen were all female.

The police further found out that Zhou Nan was wanted by the Hualien District Prosecutor's Office in April because he was suspected of a theft case and failed to appear in court. This time, he was also arrested. Zhou Nan confessed to the police that he thought the flag was beautiful and wanted to take it home for collection. He had no specific political stance and did not support any candidate. After investigating the entire case, the police transferred it to the Hualien District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on suspicion of damage, theft, violation of election and recall laws, and other wanted cases.

The Ji'an Branch stated that during the election, candidates' campaign announcements and banners are protected by law and no one is allowed to be damaged or stolen in any form. The police maintain a zero-tolerance attitude towards such illegal activities and will continue to strengthen patrols and security work in the jurisdiction to maintain a fair, just and safe election environment.