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"Organize an expert team to go to the scene for investigation as soon as possible." Qiao Jianmin instructed.
"We must ensure the safety of the expert team and maintain confidentiality. Send me the results of the on-site investigation as soon as possible."
"yes."
All those involved are now facing severe scrutiny.
Director Zhang of the County Forestry Bureau is one of them.
Three weeks ago, he received a report from his subordinates about the theft of ancient trees deep in Luoyang, and he casually instructed, "Investigation is underway, pay attention to the impact."
He knew that it would be difficult to investigate matters like these in the deep mountains.
Besides, it is not a cash crop and there is not much profit, so he didn't care about it because he thought it was better to have less trouble than more.
Unexpectedly, early this morning, the provincial department called directly on his cell phone, and the tone was stern, as if they wanted to eat him.
The person on the other end of the phone told him to go to the municipal police station immediately for investigation.
When he arrived at the municipal bureau, he found that the people waiting for him were not people from the provincial department, but several young people in uniform.
They didn't waste any time and just showed their ID - security department.
Director Zhang broke out in a cold sweat. He knew what he had done: he had accepted "hardship fees" from the gang of thieves, given them convenience, and allowed them to operate within his jurisdiction.
Were they discovered?! And the security department was alerted!
He began to regret having accepted the money. Now, he only hoped that he would have a chance to confess and be lenient with others.
The investigation is still in-depth. Qiao Jianmin sat in his office, frowning as he watched the constantly updated reports and data on the screen.
This incident was not just an ordinary case of theft and dereliction of duty, but an internal cleanup and rectification with the help of Zhong Ling.
He picked up the phone and dialed Zhou Zhenguo's internal number.
"Minister, the theft of the Luoyang ancient tree has been fully investigated..." He gave a detailed report on the current progress, problems discovered, and follow-up plans.
After listening to the report, Zhou Zhenguo said, "Very good, Jianmin, you did a good job. This incident is extremely serious in nature.
None of those who commit dereliction of duty or collude with crime must be let off.
We must get to the bottom of this and give Miss Zhong, and ourselves, an explanation."
"Yes, Minister, we will definitely conduct a thorough investigation."
“Also,” Zhou Zhenguo paused, “tell Miss Zhong that the country attaches great importance to this matter.
If she has any other requests or needs us to do anything, please let her know.”
"I understand, Minister."
Luoyang, night
Several cars were speeding on the mountain road, carrying special police and criminal investigation personnel armed with live ammunition.
Based on the locked location information, they successfully captured the tomb-robbing gang who were still asleep. The operation was clean and efficient.
Almost at the same time, forestry and public security officials involved in the case were also quietly taken away from their homes or offices.
The members of the tomb-robbing gang were all veterans and wanted to deny it at first, but in the face of a complete chain of evidence, they confessed to their crimes, including the entire process of stealing the Luoyang ancient trees.
"That tree... is really weird." The gang leader is a man named "Lao Hei".
He slumped in the interrogation chair, sweat on his forehead, "I felt something was wrong when I was digging, the branch seemed alive and moving.
It was late at night and we were all scared, but the buyer offered so much money that we dug it up anyway."
"Who is the buyer? Where is he?" the interrogator asked.
Lao Hei shook his head: "I don't know his exact name, I only know that he came from Shangjing and his last name is Du.
He contacted us through an intermediary, and what he wanted was ancient trees.”
"Where's the middleman?"
"The middleman is called 'Haozi'. We only know that he travels between Beijing and the southwest all year round, doing some shady business." Lao Hei told all the information he knew.
The facts are set, so instead of resisting, it’s better to seek leniency.
The interrogation records and investigation report were sent to Qiao Jianmin's office as soon as possible.
"Director Qiao, all officials involved in dereliction of duty and corruption have been apprehended, and further investigation is underway.
The group responsible for the thefts has been apprehended and brought to justice. They confessed that the ancient tree was purchased by a buyer named Du from Shangjing, but their identity needs further investigation. "The head of the security department reported," the report said.
Qiao Jianmin thought for a moment and ordered:
"Immediately establish a joint task force, led by the security department and coordinated by the Ministry of Public Security, to conduct a secret investigation of all buyers surnamed Du in Shangjing, especially those with wealth. Anyone who can pay a high price for an ancient tree must have a lot of money."
"It is imperative to find out the identity and background of this person as well as the current whereabouts of this ancient tree as quickly as possible."
"yes!"
Qiao Jianmin rubbed his temples. The buyer was in Beijing, so the investigation might face significant resistance.
But he had to check, so he thought about it and dialed Zhou Zhenguo's number.
"Minister, there has been significant progress in the ancient tree case..." Qiao Jianmin emphasized the buyer's information.
After hearing this, Zhou Zhenguo's tone became serious: "Shangjing, surnamed Du? Anyone who can buy something like this must have an extraordinary background.
Whoever he is, we must recover the ancient tree as soon as possible."
"Yes, Minister. I have organized a special task force and am urgently searching for people with the surname Du who meet the requirements to come to Beijing."
"Hmm." Zhou Zhenguo pondered for a moment. "Well, I'll report this matter to my superiors, and you hurry up and investigate down there. Once you have a clear target, notify me immediately.
"Yes, Minister."
There are many families and individuals with the surname Du in Shangjing City, but anyone who can buy such an expensive ancient tree is definitely not an ordinary person.
The task force secretly screened all people with the surname Du in Shangjing who had the ability and motivation to purchase ancient trees.
The process was faster than expected, and the task force quickly identified several key targets.
Among them, the Du family is a famous family in Shangjing, especially in the high-end furniture and collection circles.
The third master of the Du family, Du Mingde, is the most qualified suspect.
Du Mingde, also known as Master Du San, is the third brother of Du Mingyuan, the current head of the Du family.
Unlike his elder brother, he was not obsessed with the family business. Instead, he was very interested in collecting and Feng Shui.
Especially in recent years, he has been keen on finding all kinds of rare treasures that are "spiritual" and "can nourish people".
These things are often priceless and need to be obtained through various unknown channels.
Further investigation confirmed that Mr. Du Sanye was indeed a suspect.
He recently purchased a piece of timber and paid a sum of money for it.
At the same time, the task force also found out the motive of Mr. Du Sanye for purchasing the ancient tree: his mother was about to celebrate her 90th birthday.
Mr. Du Sanye wanted to use an ancient tree with "spiritual energy" to create a piece of furniture that could nourish people as a birthday gift for his mother.
He firmly believed that ancient trees have a long lifespan and can prolong his mother's life.
After confirming the goals and motivations, Qiao Jianmin reported to his superiors and quickly developed a plan.
Considering the status of the Du family, this contact with Mr. Du Sanye must be cautious.
The final decision was that the head of the security department would personally lead the team and communicate with Du Sanye in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Security.
The location was chosen to be a private club of Mr. Du Sanye, where the environment was secretive and easy to control.
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