sjar Chapter 866 A Gold Ring
Chapter 866 A Gold Ring
The case investigation had reached a stalemate, and a tense atmosphere permeated the entire criminal investigation team. Although the officers did not give up, they inevitably felt lost amidst the day-to-day fruitless investigations. Just then, a police officer named Li from a local police station discovered a glimmer of hope during his investigation.
While visiting secondhand gold shops in his jurisdiction, Xiao Li came across one called "Tianlai Gold." As usual, he showed the shop owner photos of the deceased's jewelry and asked if he had seen those styles before. The shop owner initially shook his head, but when Xiao Li turned to a photo of a ring, the owner's expression suddenly changed.
"Officer, now that you mention it, I think I received a similar ring a few days ago." The shop owner said, while searching for records under the counter.
Xiao Li's heart tightened, and he suppressed his excitement as he asked, "Boss, are you sure? This is related to a major case. Do you remember what the person who sold the ring looked like? Did they leave any information?"
The shop owner frowned and tried to recall: "Oh dear, the man was wearing a hat and a mask, so I couldn't see his face clearly. I just remember he was a man, tall and thin. He was in a hurry to sell, and he offered a low price. I thought the ring was in good condition, so I bought it. This is the transaction record; his phone number is on it."
Xiao Li took the record and saw an unfamiliar number written on it. He immediately contacted the bureau's technical staff and requested assistance in investigating the number's ownership. At the same time, he reported this important discovery to Li Ming.
"Captain Li, I found a ring that looks like the one belonging to the deceased, Song Juanjuan, at the 'Tianlai Gold' jewelry store. The store owner said a suspicious man came to sell it a few days ago, and I've already obtained his phone number. Our technicians are checking it." Xiao Li said excitedly on the phone.
Upon hearing the news, Li Ming's spirits lifted: "Well done, Xiao Li! Keep the jewelry store owner calm and ensure the ring's safety. We'll be there right away."
Li Ming hung up the phone and quickly assembled the action team. "Comrades, we have a major lead! Xiao Li found a ring that looks like the victim's in a jewelry store. It's very likely that the murderer was selling stolen goods. Everyone, move out immediately, let's go and meet the person who sold the ring."
At this point, the technicians reported that, based on preliminary investigation, the phone number was new and not registered under a real name, making it impossible to directly identify the owner. However, they could use cell tower triangulation to roughly determine the phone's location before and after the incident.
When the task force arrived at the "Tianlai Gold" jewelry store, Xiao Li was already there. Li Ming went into the store, carefully examined the ring, and then had the officers take it back to the police station for Li Chenhao's mother to identify.
"Boss, could you please describe the person selling the rings in more detail? What's his accent like? Does he have any unusual mannerisms?" Li Ming asked.
The boss thought for a moment: "He spoke with a local accent. I remember he had a tattoo on his left wrist, but it was partially covered by his sleeve, so I couldn't see what it was."
Li Ming nodded and continued, "We need to check the surveillance footage in your store, from the day you sold the ring back to the days before."
The jewelry store owner quickly cooperated and retrieved the surveillance video. The officers gathered around the computer, reviewing it frame by frame. However, the video quality was poor, and the man selling the rings deliberately obscured his face, making it difficult to discern his features.
"What are we going to do? It's so blurry, we can't recognize anyone at all," a police officer said anxiously.
Li Ming stared at the screen and said calmly, "Everyone, don't panic. Look carefully at his build, his walking posture, and the tattoo the boss mentioned. We'll find some clues eventually."
After several hours of careful observation, officers finally discovered that the man had walked towards a motorcycle after leaving the jewelry store. Although the motorcycle's license plate was obscured, they noticed a distinctive feature—a red decorative ribbon on the handlebars.
"This is an important clue. Everyone, remember the characteristics of this motorcycle. Next, we need to check all the surveillance footage in Jianshe Township to find the motorcycle's travel route," Li Ming ordered.
The task force began searching for the motorcycle with the red stripe on surveillance cameras at various intersections in Jianshe Township. Jianshe Township is a vast area with numerous surveillance cameras, making the search extremely difficult. The officers worked day and night in shifts, reviewing the footage until their eyes were bloodshot.
"No one at this intersection, next one," Officer Zhang said as he quickly switched between surveillance cameras.
"Wait, isn't that the motorcycle?" Officer Wang suddenly shouted. Everyone gathered around, and the screen showed a motorcycle flashing by, the red ribbon on the handlebars faintly visible.
"That's it! Quick, track its direction of travel," Li Ming said excitedly.
Through continuous tracking of multiple surveillance cameras, officers discovered that the motorcycle eventually entered a small village in Jianshe Township. However, there were no surveillance cameras in the village, and the trail went cold again.
"This is troublesome. There are no surveillance cameras in the village. How are we going to find this person?" Xiao Zhang was somewhat discouraged.
Li Ming thought for a moment and said, "We'll go to the village and visit the villagers, showing them the surveillance screenshots, and ask them if they've seen this motorcycle and the person riding it. Someone will surely know something."
The task force split into several groups and went door-to-door in the village. They showed the villagers surveillance screenshots and asked if they had seen the people and motorcycles in the pictures. Most villagers shook their heads, saying they didn't remember them, but the officers didn't give up.
In a corner of the village, an old man looked at the screenshot and said hesitantly, "This motorcycle looks familiar. It seems to belong to Tian Song from the west end of the village. But I'm not sure. He rarely interacts with the villagers."
The officers immediately perked up and continued to press, "Sir, do you know where Tian Song lives? What does he usually do?"
The old man pointed in the west of the village: "That row of houses, the third one from the west. This kid is usually very secretive, I don't know what he does for a living, he often goes out at night and doesn't come back until dawn."
The task force quickly headed to Tian Song's residence. Upon arrival, they found the door locked. Li Ming gestured for everyone to be careful, then stepped forward and knocked: "Tian Song, open the door, we're the police!"
There was no response from inside. Li Ming and the officers exchanged glances and decided to break down the door. Inside, they found the place in disarray, containing only some basic household items. In a drawer, the officers found several transaction receipts from the jewelry store and some loose cash.
"It seems this is the place. Tian Song is very likely the person we're looking for. Conduct a thorough search of the house immediately and look for more clues," Li Ming said.
Just then, the technicians reported that further analysis of the surveillance footage had confirmed Tian Song's identity. Tian Song, a resident of Jianshe Township, had previously been dealt with by the police for theft and fighting.