(Minghui.org) Over the past 25 years of the persecution of Falun Gong, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Public Security Bureau in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, have confiscated an estimated several million yuan in cash from practitioners and their families.
The funds were confiscated during home raids or extorted from practitioners’ family members by threatening to have their loved ones sentenced to prison.
Practitioners saved their hard-earned money for retirement or for tuition for their children. Some practitioners got into serious debt or went bankrupt after their funds were confiscated.
Below are snapshots of selected cases.
Money Confiscated Through Forceful Means
Over 500,000 Cash Confiscated from a Couple and Their Relative
Mr. He Hongjun and his wife Ms. Fu Wenhui went to Mr. Lan Qingzhong’s print shop in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia (about 100 miles away) around 9 a.m. on May 11, 2024. As soon as they arrived, plainclothes officers from the Qianjin Police Department of Chaoyang City rushed in. They confiscated Mr. Lan’s printers, computers, and 320,000 yuan cash. They also seized 120,000 yuan in cash from the couple.
Officers from the Qianjin Police Department and Chaoyang City Domestic Security Division escorted Mr. He back to his home in Chaoyang City. They seized over 91,000 yuan, his home keys, car keys, and other items. Mr. He’s daughter and child who shared the residence with them could not return home and had to stay with a relative. The three practitioners have been formally arrested and the police in Chaoyang denied their lawyer’s request to see them.
Over 10,000 Yuan in Cash and Personal Belongings Confiscated
Police from Qianjin Branch went to Ms. Sun Guiling’s home on June 11, 2021, and took 10,000 yuan in cash and many of her personal belongings. Her money and belongings have not yet been returned.
Police Extorted Money by Threatening to Arrest Practitioners
After two Falun Gong practitioners in the Longcheng District were arrested, one of their families paid nearly 10,000 yuan as bail while the other paid nearly 50,000 yuan for them to be released.
In recent years, a practitioner in Balibao was arrested. The family paid 15,000 yuan to the police in exchange for the practitioner’s release. After the practitioner was released, the family was still harassed and threatened that their loved one would be sentenced to prison. The police extorted another 10,000 yuan from them, and the practitioner was given a suspended sentence.
“Why Don’t We Arrest Him? Because He Has No Money”
Mr. Jiang Wei was arrested in November 9, 2015, and his home was ransacked. Police officer Zhao Liji confiscated 3,600 yuan in cash, which was supposed to be for his daughter’s wedding, from him.
In the past when Zhao participated in mass arrests of practitioners, he told relatives of Falun Gong practitioners, “Look at him. We did not arrest him. Why not? Because he has no money.”
Two practitioners were released after their families paid 200,000 yuan and more than 100,000 yuan to Zhao for him to secure their release through his connections with the prosecutor. Most of the practitioners who were given suspended sentences paid the police. After their release, however, they faced a lot of pressure due to their families’ financial difficulties.
Funds Have Been Extorted Since the Persecution Began
Police Used Confiscated Money to Buy Expensive Home
More than 50,000 yuan have been confiscated by the 610 Office in the Shuangta District in recent years. In October 2001, the police confiscated a large number of personal belongings from practitioner Mr. Hu, including his bank book showing deposits of 50,000 yuan, more than 10,000 yuan in cash, and SIM cards. The police did not produce a list of items confiscated.
After Bai Wenyou, chief of the Domestic Security Division, arrested practitioners Mr. Cao Zhiyong and Mr. Hu Jianguo, he seized their car and changed the license plate. Bai often drove this car to ransack practitioners’ homes.
Bai not only confiscated money from practitioners, he also threatened their family members with prison terms in an attempt to extort money from them. He later bought an expensive home with funds extorted from practitioners.
Sun Xu and Huang Dianxiang from a branch of the Longcheng District police department have also actively confiscated funds from practitioners. Before 2005, they’d seized 184,604 yuan from more than a hundred practitioners.
Seizing Practitioners’ Cars to Extort Funds
Office Wu Baoliang has seized practitioners’ cars on multiple occasions to extort money from them. In 2003, Ms. Chen Baofeng (who was persecuted to death in Wujiawa Detention Center on March 3, 2008) had her taxi seized by Wu, who extorted 6,000 yuan from her for its return.
Another time, Wu seized a practitioner’s taxi, claiming that the practitioner had rented out the taxi to another practitioner. The family had to pay 15,000 yuan to get the taxi back.
In June 2012, Ms. Han Minglan and several of her relatives were arrested by Chaoyang County Police Department officers. The police extorted money from them by releasing Ms. Han’s husband only after 10,000 yuan was paid to them. The police also confiscated three cars from the family.
After the police saw that the family’s business had prospered, they arrested a total of 14 people, including Ms. Han’s son, daughter-in-law, other of her relatives, and fellow practitioners. They had to pay thousands to tens of thousands of yuan in exchange for them to be released.
Over Two Million Yuan Confiscated from Lingyuan Practitioners
A total of 860 practitioners in Lingyuan City were arrested, detained, and had their homes ransacked. Over 2,100,000 yuan was extorted from them.
On October 20, 2001, Mr. Hou Yanshuang was arrested and his home ransacked. His computer, printer, real estate property deed, and more than 90,000 yuan in were confiscated. Mr. Hou was later secretly sentenced to 14 years and eventually persecuted to death.
From 2006 to 2008, Lingyuan Police Department officers arrested and ransacked the homes of more than 70 practitioners. Over 40 practitioners lost a total of at least 346,000 yuan. Some suffered economic losses of nearly 30,000 yuan.
From 1999 to early 2012, Liu Jingkui, chief of Lingyuan police station, was involved in arresting more than 100 practitioners and extorting more than one million yuan from them.
Liu sometimes tortured the practitioners for confessions for days or threatened their families to pay him for the practitioners’ release. In his private life, he had affairs with several women and gambled. He owed foreign debts of more than 100,000 yuan, including gambling losses, gambling loans, and personal loans.
Liu divorced his wife and remarried. He bought a house with a loan. Liu’s salary couldn’t cover his expenses, so he extorted funds from practitioners to make ends meet.
“I Will Have Money When I Arrest a Few Falun Gong Practitioners in a Few Days”
Police officers Pan Zhanxian and Jiang Jie from the Jianping County Police Department have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners since July 20, 1999. By arresting practitioners and ransacking their homes, they confiscated more than 200,000 yuan in cash and extorted 400,000 yuan from their family members.
When Jiang ate a restaurant and the manager presented him with the bill, which was a large sum of money, Jiang said, “Wait a little. I will have money when I arrest a few Falun Gong [practitioners] in a few days.”
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