Taiwan Police Arrest Livestreaming Debt Collector for Extortion at Takoyaki Stall

Police in Taiwan's Zhongli district deployed a rapid response unit to apprehend a man and his associate accused of extortion. The suspect, identified as "Zhongli Zhong Xiaozhong," had previously livestreamed threats at a takoyaki stall owned by a woman whose son allegedly owes NT$2 million in gambling debts.

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The son is yours, you can't blame others.

The incident occurred on the evening of June 30th, when police received a report that the suspect was placing debt collection notices outside the stall. The rapid response team quickly arrived and detained the 33-year-old suspect and a 29-year-old companion. They were subsequently transferred to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office on suspicion of extortion.

Taoyuan City Councilor Huang Qionghui highlighted the situation on social media, noting that the suspect had repeatedly threatened to confront the "takoyaki auntie" online. Huang criticized the suspect's actions as "malicious" and an attempt to "intimidate the victim, causing fear."

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This approach is truly despicable, it is clearly 'intentionally using this method to threaten the victim, causing fear.'

This latest arrest follows a previous controversy on June 24th, where a police officer involved in the initial harassment incident made insensitive remarks to the stall owner, stating, "The son is yours, you can't blame others." That officer received a demerit for his comments. Police emphasized their zero-tolerance policy for intimidation and disruption, vowing to crack down on violent debt collection and acts that threaten public order.

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We will not tolerate anyone using pretexts to threaten and harass the public, nor can we allow livestreaming to repeatedly provoke public authority.