TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hualien police arrested two logistics company employees for allegedly stealing goods from packages, then re-wrapping them for delivery.
UDN reported that several online shoppers found incorrect or missing items in their order deliveries. Buyers who ordered new iPhones received an empty box or an old model, prompting them to file complaints with the seller and report to the police.
The Hualien County Police Department was cited as saying that after cross-checking reference numbers of the products, it discovered that all packages related to the case were delivered by the same logistics company. After investigating, the police targeted a 22-year-old delivery person surnamed Chiu (邱) and his girlfriend and co-worker, a 23-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃).
When the police searched Chiu’s residence, they found stolen goods, including several iPhones and skincare products.
Chiu and Huang confessed and said since September 2021, they would drive the delivery truck back to their company’s parking lot to go through packages they picked up from convenience stores. If they found expensive items, they would open up the package and steal them, then fill the container with other items taken from other packages to complete the delivery.
Per UDN, Chiu and Huang claimed that they thought buyers would complain to sellers when they found something amiss with their orders and did not expect the police to find them.
The couple either kept the stolen items or sold them online, making around NT$100,000 (US$3609.30) in profit, according to the police. The two have been charged with theft and encroachment of property related to work.