TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police arrested a man surnamed Jiang (江) in Kaohsiung on Thursday (Jan. 18) for stealing steel sculptures from renowned sculptor Liu Ding-zan (劉丁讚).
Liu’s son went to his father’s studio on Wednesday (Jan. 17) and discovered the gate had been damaged, per CNA. He went inside and saw that eight steel dragon sculptures and two aircraft engines were stolen.
The family estimated that nearly NT$20 million (US$636,750) worth of art was taken and immediately informed the police, per Liberty Times. The police determined the thief likely did not know the value of the pieces stolen and would return to the scene to steal more items.
On Thursday morning (Jan. 18), officers from Kaohsiung’s Renwu police station went to the studio to wait for the thief to return, but they found a cart propping the gate open and a suspiciously parked scooter nearby.
Police found Jiang already inside the studio who then attempted to flee the scene. Officers promptly arrested Jiang.
Jiang denied committing the crime, but surveillance footage showed that he was in the area on Wednesday (Jan. 17).
Police are currently determining Jiang’s motives and the whereabouts of the stolen items. The case has been transferred to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office for further investigation.