CHAPTER 1281: CHAPTER 1208: SOURCE OF THE NEWS

"We’ve already taken a deposition from the cow farm owner. Should we use it as a pretext to interrogate him again?" Wang Zhihao was still following the usual case procedure.

In typical cases, if the police are a bit stern and use some trickery during interrogation, ordinary suspects often confess easily.

Like the cow farm owner at Mu Jian Cow Farm, such individuals come from wealthy backgrounds, haven’t endured much hardship, have minimal interaction with society, and dabble in the arts, making them the easiest targets for interrogation.

Without waiting for Jiang Yuan’s response, Liu Jinghui promptly refused, "Since we’re taking this case seriously, we should handle it according to major case standards. Even if it is a minor case, we’ll treat it as training. Otherwise, the first interrogation should be well-prepared before proceeding."

Liu Jinghui’s words weren’t particularly polite but were logical.

If this case is a minor one, it should be handled according to standard procedures, considered as training. Otherwise, naturally, it needs to be conducted with strict standards, or else it would merely be exploiting Jiang Yuan’s reputation.

Wang Zhihao understood and quickly replied, "We definitely need to follow the standards, and I’ve told the team here that everything must follow the standard procedures."

"Alright. Then let’s aim for the first interrogation and start with the investigation," Liu Jinghui made the decision in just a few words, then looked at Jiang Yuan, "Shall we determine a direction?"

"I plan to check the footprints and surveillance footage, you handle the rest," Jiang Yuan said casually.

Indeed, it’s a minor case, no need for overly complex procedures.

Liu Jinghui nodded, no longer playing the game of modesty with Jiang Yuan, and simply said, "If this case wasn’t a coincidental, random act, there must have been some thought put into it. By the way... have the channels for selling the stolen goods been checked?"

"Not yet," Wang Zhihao shook his head.

"Then let’s first check the channels for selling the stolen goods. Although the probability of a random act is low, we can’t rule out the possibility of the perpetrator needing money urgently," Liu Jinghui paused and added, "The fact that the perpetrator can recognize the value of the paintings is noteworthy."

Wang Zhihao nodded cooperatively, "Reaching a place like the cow farm, most people would see paintings as fake, unlikely to regard them as expensive masterworks, especially since there were two paintings not locked in cabinets. The cow farm owner hung them on the walls, many would just see them as art pieces."

Wang Zhihao’s reasoning wasn’t very rigorous towards the end. In fact, with valuable paintings in cabinets, it wouldn’t be surprising for a thief to casually take the paintings hanging on the walls.

Liu Jinghui didn’t dwell on this, instead seeking common ground. "Then, let’s make investigating the stolen goods selling channels our first focus."

"Alright."

Wang Zhihao initially agreed, then hesitantly added, "If we’re looking to investigate selling channels within Liyuan City, we can manage... but extending beyond that might be beyond our capability."

He wasn’t embarrassed about it, being just a captain in the Liyuan City Criminal Police Brigade. Even ranking officers above him, such as the division chief or deputy chief, could only cover the Liyuan City area; even the precinct chief wouldn’t claim to have a complete grasp of provincial affairs.

Liu Jinghui replied, "I haven’t thoroughly considered this, I’ll discuss the stolen goods selling channels with colleagues at the provincial department."

Being with the provincial department, Liu Jinghui indeed had access to such intelligence.

Wang Zhihao then expressed, "Sorry to trouble Director Liu."

For a thief, selling the stolen goods is a step where mistakes easily happen, yet if they don’t sell, the theft often becomes meaningless.

A historically notable "Case No. 100 Theft" involved the perpetrator stealing 80 kilograms of gold in 1961 from a mint code-named 615, a case that went all the way to the top, with a special task force established at the highest level. Despite this, the case remained unsolved, highlighting the genuine difficulty of solving theft cases. Interestingly, this case was eventually solved 20 years later, in 1980, when the perpetrator exposed himself trying to cash in some of the gold at a bank.

A similar comparison applies to the "Sunshine Supermarket Case" investigated the other day. The supermarket owner, owning his supermarket for laundering, made it hard to spot when he stole from other supermarkets.

Concerning selling stolen artwork, there are indeed particularities. Some premeditated art thefts, especially in galleries or museums, usually occur because there’s a buyer before the theft.

In other words, thieves often follow a customized path, operating on a contract basis, which is prevalent in Europe. Some European nobility are genuinely willing to pay large sums to possess stolen artwork, then hide them away in their "castles" for decades or even a century.

However, reaching this level in the domestic art market might not be easy.

Even a non-masterpiece by Zhang Daqian might not entice this level of art thief.

Liu Jinghui waved his hand and continued, "Second, concerning an inside job, just follow the normal procedures. However, based on the current investigation progress, if it’s not an inside job, this case becomes interesting."

Wang Zhihao’s eyelids kept twitching. As a criminal police officer, who wishes their case to be intriguing!

Anyone with some hope for their career finds it like hearing a horror story when told by someone like Liu Jinghui that something is interesting.

Liu Jinghui simply chuckled, "Actually, I don’t think it’s like a random act or an inside job. This Mu Jian Cow Farm has been running for some years, and the farm owner has been collecting artwork for over ten years. He has paintings at home too, but the perpetrator didn’t go there and instead came to the cow farm... Also, why is the theft happening now? What changes have occurred?"

Wang Zhihao looked up at Liu Jinghui.

The officers in the hall began responding chaotically.

"Could it be that information was obtained through some channel?"

"Not necessarily information from a farm employee? The farm owner or traders might also know about this."

"Is there any need for the farm owner to steal from himself? Paintings like these don’t qualify for insurance, and self-theft wouldn’t be profitable either."

"Then maybe it got noticed during the selling or price inquiry process."

"Selling or price inquiry is just a guess. Actually, no need to sell, can’t he show them off? Are there groups or forums where he might have shown them off, catching someone’s attention?"

Various speculations were thrown out without cost, leaving everyone momentarily unable to analyze.

Liu Jinghui listened earnestly; even for him, gaining new insights was necessary.

Soon, Liu Jinghui summarized, "I think starting from the information perspective is very necessary. How the thief gathered information, why they targeted the cow farm instead of the owner’s house, from this point on, we might be able to delineate the suspects..."

Liu Jinghui didn’t continue the reasoning further. Instead, he turned to Jiang Yuan and asked, "Is there any new evidence?"

"I plan to first analyze the footprints in the cow farm and check the surveillance, which might take a day," Jiang Yuan provided a timeline.

Liu Jinghui considered it and said, "That works well; I’ll analyze the issue of the information source in the meantime."