Man indicted for falsely reporting robbery to hitch ride with police

Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) A Kaohsiung man was recently charged for falsely reporting that he had been robbed in order to hitch a ride across town in a police car.

According to an indictment by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office, the incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2024, when a man surnamed Lai (賴) wanted to get to the city's Siaogang District but lacked money for the taxi fare.

He resorted to a novel tactic, the indictment said, calling a police station and falsely reporting that his wallet had been stolen by two individuals on a white motorcycle, to have police officers pick him up and drive him to the station to process the report.

Upon reviewing surveillance camera footage of the area, however, police found no evidence that Lai had been robbed, and he later admitted to them that he had been lying.

After being handed over to prosecutors, Lai changed his story, claiming that he suffered from dysautonomia, a disorder of the nervous system, which caused him to mistakenly believe he had been robbed.

Lai ultimately admitted upon further interrogation that he had made the false report in order to get a free ride across town, the indictment said.

After completing their investigation, prosecutors indicted Lai last week for making a false accusation under the Criminal Code, and requested a summary judgment from the court.

Prosecutors did not indicate what punishment they were seeking for the man.