A 59-year-old woman in Taiwan has been sentenced to two years in prison after she was caught using the fingerprints of a dead man to forge a promissory note worth NT$8.5 million (around US$280,000). The bizarre incident took place at a funeral centre in Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan, where the woman, surnamed Li, approached the deceased man’s body under the pretence of paying her respects.
(Also read: Chinese woman calls off wedding, shocks ex-fiance by demanding $4,200 ‘hugging fee’)
According to report by SETN, cited by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Li had a history of debt disputes with the deceased man, identified as Peng. Upon learning of Peng’s death on 21 February, she reportedly rushed to the funeral home within hours, carrying a false mortgage document and a promissory note.
Caught red-handed
Li told funeral workers that she was a close friend of Peng and wished to bid farewell to him. However, her behaviour soon raised suspicion. As Peng’s body lay inside a hearse, Li allegedly climbed into the vehicle, unzipped the body bag, and pressed the dead man’s finger onto a piece of paper.
A worker at the funeral home immediately alerted Peng’s family, who then called the police. Officers arrived at the scene and arrested Li, confiscating a counterfeit mortgage document, a bank cheque, and an inkpad.
Police findings and confession
{{/usCountry}}A worker at the funeral home immediately alerted Peng’s family, who then called the police. Officers arrived at the scene and arrested Li, confiscating a counterfeit mortgage document, a bank cheque, and an inkpad.
Police findings and confession
{{/usCountry}}As reported by SCMP, Li later confessed that she had forged the documents because she feared that the money she had lent to Peng would never be recovered. She created a fake land mortgage document dated 23 May 2010 and a promissory note issued in Peng’s name to make it appear as if he owed her NT$8.5 million.
Court ruling and sentence
The court found Li guilty of forging securities and sentenced her to two years in prison. However, her sentence was suspended for five years because she admitted to the crime and the fraudulent bank cheque had not yet been processed. The judge also ordered Li to pay NT$50,000 (about US$1,600) to the government and complete 90 hours of voluntary service in public welfare organisations or government departments.
A funeral home employee expressed shock over the incident, telling SCMP: “I have been working in the funeral industry for two decades. I have never seen such an incident before.”