Man arrested for suspected arson, robbery in Nantou post office case

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) A man was arrested by police Friday after allegedly robbing Lugu-Qingshui post office in Nantou County and then setting it on fire, according to county police.

The police said the 43-year-old man surnamed Huang (黃) attacked and robbed the office when the office manager, surnamed Liu (劉), was processing packages and set the place on fire before fleeing to the county's Jiji Township.

Police arrested Huang at around noon in an area near Sun Moon Lake.

According to the county's Fire Bureau, it received a report on the post office fire in the morning, and soon dispatched firefighters from several townships around the area to the scene.

When the team arrived, it saw fire and smoke and suspected that someone might have robbed the post office before setting it on fire.

Although no one was trapped in the blaze, the post office's 63-year-old manager was attacked by the suspect and had a three-centimeter wound on his right back and bruises on his left forearm, the bureau said.

Liu was sent to Chu Shang Show Chwan Hospital for treatment, the bureau said.

According to the bureau, the fire, which was extinguished in half an hour, covered around 20 square meters, but the losses have yet to be calculated.

Meanwhile, the police said this was the second time that the post office was robbed in six years. In August 2018, a 38-year-old man surnamed Chou (周) threatened post office workers with a gun and stole NT$500,000 (US$15,978) within 20 seconds.

Police suggested that the Lugu-Qingshui post office has been targeted because the office was relatively small and located in a rural area, making it more vulnerable to a robbery.

Meanwhile, local residents said the area was peaceful and the post office -- located between Lugu and Jiji townships -- had only one manager and one part-time worker, and they urged local police to help keep the area safe as the Lunar New Year approaches.