Victims' Family Members Sue the Police for Stealing 600,000 Yuan in Cash

On the morning of July 10th, 2008, police officer Chen Hong and others from the National Security Team of the Lubei Police Department in Tangshan City, Hebei Province broke into the home of Falun Gong practitioners He Yixing and Zhang Yueqin, a married couple, on the Sixth Floor of the Xishan Building. Using two fire department vehicles with ladders, they broke the balcony glass to enter the home and arrested the couple. They also confiscated a large amount of personal belongings. Later, the police arrested Zhang Yueqin's second daughter He Yan and daughter-in-law Sun Fengli from their work places.

The police stole many items from Zhang Yueqin's family, including a van, valuables and 600,000 yuan¹ in cash. The cash comprises the funds that Zhang Yueqin's first daughter borrowed to open a business and the funds for He Yixing and his wife's retirement. During the entire process of ransacking the home, the police did not write any receipts nor allow the family members to verify any items or sign any papers.

When Zhang Yueqin's family asked police officer Chen Hong for the money back, Chen Hong said, "I will not return the money." She said, "The money came from a foreign country to support a (Falun Gong) activity." Then she changed her statement and said that the money was illegally gathered.

On the morning of July 29th, 2008, the Lubei Police Department deceived Zhang Yueqin's first daughter and brought her to the Lubei Police Department. Then they detained her for 15 days in order to threaten and frighten her family members from asking for any money back or releasing the family members in detention. On October 6th, Zhang Yueqin's family inquired with the Procuratorate and found that the money actually had not been transferred to the Procuratorate as the law required. Instead, police officer Chen Hong held the money the whole time and refused to give it back to the family.

Police officers from the Lubei Police Department also went to He Yixing's work place, at the Tangshan City Power Plant, to investigate He Yixing's income source and attempt to collect "evidence" and find excuses for them to confiscate the money. The Tangshan Power Plant confirmed that He Yixing's cash was his legal income, disappointing the police officers.

A human rights lawyer from Beijing has accepted the case of He Yixing and Zhang Yueqin and is willing to defend the couple and their family members. However, the Lubei Police Department has prevented the lawyer from meeting with the family many times.

After the cash was stolen by the police, Zhang Yueqin's first daughter had to postpone her plan of opening a new business. Also, the business she managed for many years was interrupted due to the cash shortage. Her husband could not handle the difficulties and began to have conflicts with her. They are now close to getting a divorce. In addition, four other family members were arrested by the police. Zhang Yueqin's daughter nearly collapsed from the pressure.

Zhang Yueqin's elder brother has sued police officer Chen Hong and others from the Lubei Police Department for their crimes.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/11/2/189060.html