TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in New Taipei’s Tamsui District arrested eight people on Tuesday (Nov. 1) in an organized crime ring and freed 26 victims who were being held against their will.

After receiving a tip from a concerned parent, officers went to investigate a residence in Tamsui’s Danhai New Town neighborhood on Tuesday night. There, police discovered 26 victims, aged between 23 and 58 years old, all being held captive as part of an operation to defraud their family members and peers.

All 26 were imprisoned in a tiny room. Most of the victims had bruises and cuts from being handcuffed and bound, reports UDN. The room where they were held reportedly reeked of pepper spray, making it difficult for the captives to breathe. Police also found handcuffs, shackles, and stun batons on the premises.

Officers received a tip on Tuesday from a father who was worried about his son. The man said his son had been lured to Tamsui by the prospect of a high-paying job; however, the father feared that he was being held against his will in the Danhai New Town area.

After luring a victim to meet, the victim would be coerced into making a bank transfer for “recruiting fees” to accounts owned by the gang members. After transferring money, the victims were kidnapped and imprisoned with the intention of being used for ransom, or to dupe others into the trap.

According to the UDN report, the primary suspect in the case is a 19-year-old man, surnamed Cheng (鄭). Seven of his accomplices were also arrested, with one being a minor, five between the ages of 18 and 22, and one person, surnamed Lu (呂), who is 34 years old.

The gang members reportedly gave their captives one meal a day, and regularly assaulted the victims. Several of the people rescued were sent immediately to local hospitals for medical treatment.

Police gathered evidence at the residence that included four accounting files, 12 bankbooks, and 44 ATM cards, along with various drugs, weapons, and restraints. The suspects in the case have been transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutor’s office in Taipei for investigation and criminal processing. Bruises on victims' hands and feet. (CNA photos)