Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 302 Your Accomplice (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The toilet door next to it opened, and a stench wafted out.

The three people next to him frowned because it smelled terrible.

A man came out, glanced at the three of them, and started humming a song as he turned to walk back.

Zhou Yi's eyes sharpened; it was him!
The person was chewing something, their cheeks bulging as they chewed.

No wonder I couldn't find anything suspicious after walking around; it turns out he was using the toilet.

“It’s him,” Zhou Yi pointed.

The two plainclothes railway police officers beside him were also experienced and immediately blocked the man's path.

"What?" the man said fiercely, his eyes wide.

"Police officer, please cooperate with our work!" the railway police officer said, showing his identification.

The man immediately showed a frightened expression, and suddenly pushed the other person away and tried to run away.

But the railway police were clearly prepared, and with a single step, they tripped the other person.

With a loud thud, the man fell face-first into the dirt, and a dark, gooey mess came out of his mouth.

Hearing the noise, the people in the carriage all craned their necks to look over.

"Run? The train is only so big, where can you run to?" With that, the railway policeman pulled the man up from the ground.

Then another person opened the carriage door and pulled the man inside.

Unlike later bullet trains and high-speed trains, the green-skinned trains had doors connecting the carriages, and once the doors were closed, the people inside the carriages could not be seen.

"Tell me honestly, why did you run?" A railway policeman made the man lean against the wall, raise his hands above his head, and began to search him.

The man didn't dare to say a word. Zhou Yi knew he must have stolen goods on him, otherwise he wouldn't have run away on the spot.

This is also why the railway police conduct direct body searches, because evidence is key; to catch a thief, you need to catch him red-handed.

"What's this?" The railway policeman found two wallets in the man's trouser pocket and jacket pocket: a black leather men's wallet and a pink patterned women's wallet.

He also found several sharp razor blades in the cuff of his right sleeve.

The railway policeman opened the wallet and looked inside; the ID card inside didn't match the man at all.

"Where did this come from?" the railway police officer questioned.

The man awkwardly explained, "I found it."

"Found them? Show me two more you found?"

The man remained silent.

The railway police officer immediately pulled out handcuffs and cuffed the man: "Caught red-handed, come with us."

"Comrade Zhou Yi, why don't you come with us to the lounge for further questioning?"

Zhou Yi nodded. This was their territory, so they should listen to them. Besides, the connection point was indeed narrow and noisy, not a suitable place for interrogation.

Two plainclothes railway police officers escorted the man forward, one in front and one behind, with Zhou Yi following behind.

Green-skinned trains are not just simple hard-seat carriages; hard-seat carriages are only the main body and make up the largest proportion.

There are also hard sleeper berths, and some trains even have soft sleeper compartments, but this train doesn't.

In addition, there are baggage carts, postal carts, and dining carts.

The staff's rest room is usually located in these three carriages.

To avoid causing panic, the railway police removed the man's coat and covered his hands with it to prevent passengers from seeing.

Zhou Yi walked behind, keeping a proper distance from the three of them, as he was observing whether anyone reacted to the man as they passed by.

Those who react abnormally are definitely this person's accomplices.

Sure enough, a middle-aged man with a beard immediately became very nervous when he saw the pickpocket being held captive.

But he immediately looked away, staring out the window, completely out of place with those around him.

As Zhou Yi walked past him, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, just as he was glancing back out of the corner of his eye.

The moment their eyes met, the middle-aged bearded man immediately looked down and scratched his hair.

This is an instinctive reaction to mask nervousness.

"Excuse me, where is your rest area?" Zhou Yi asked the railway police officer in front of him in a low voice.

"It's in the dining car at the front, the one with the sign hanging at the top."

"Okay, I'll be gone for a few minutes and I'll come back to you in a bit."

At this moment, the three of them opened the door and walked out of the carriage. However, after closing the door, Zhou Yi hid to the side and observed the situation inside through the glass door.

Sure enough, when the middle-aged bearded man peeked towards the car door, Zhou Yi immediately shrank back.

Two seconds later, I looked again and found that the person had stood up and was walking in the opposite direction.

Zhou Yi carefully opened the car door and followed. ...

Carriage number nine is the dining car, and for most people who ride the old-fashioned green trains, the dining car is something they've never even been to.

Because those who can afford to eat vegetables on the train are all wealthy people; most people, like Zhang Xianglan and the elderly couple opposite her, bring their own food to tide them over.

There was hot water available on the train, and some people would bring instant noodles to eat, but in 1997 there were no cup noodles, so you had to bring your own lunchbox.

But that's already considered a luxury.

Zhou Yi knocked on the door that had a sign that read "Restroom, No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed".

The door was opened, and it was one of the railway police officers who had opened it earlier. Another railway police officer was taking a statement from the pickpocket.

"You only stole two wallets? Are you kidding me? You said you only stole two when we caught you, and you didn't steal anything when we didn't catch you, right? I'm warning you, if you don't tell the truth, everything that's gone from this train today will be counted as your theft!" The railway policeman pointed at the pickpocket squatting on the ground and cursed.

"How is it?" Zhou Yi walked in, closed the door, and asked.

"I just searched him again, and he had some cash stuffed in his socks and two razor blades hidden in his waistband. He's definitely a seasoned criminal, and a professional razor blade thief at that," the railway police officer said.

Blade blades are a common tool used by pickpockets.

They sharpen ordinary razor blades to an incredibly sharp point, making it easy to slice through handbags, purses, and clothes, allowing them to steal valuables without anyone noticing.

Therefore, anyone found with razor blades on their person is undoubtedly a pickpocket.

There are some terms used in the pickpocketing industry that Zhou Yi is familiar with, but not very proficient in.

"Have you seen this person before?" Zhou Yi asked.

The plainclothes officers on the train are relatively fixed; their job is to disguise themselves as passengers and follow the train to ensure the safety of the train and its passengers.

So under normal circumstances, if certain faces appear frequently, they are definitely professional pickpockets.

The railway policeman shook his head and said, "I've never seen this person before. I guess he's a 'street thief.' Oh, 'street thief' means that they switch territories to avoid being recognized. Pickpocket gangs often change locations among themselves."

Zhou Yi nodded. It really was a battle of wits and courage.

Unfortunately, this rampant theft situation will continue for another ten years or so, until smartphones and mobile payments become widespread. At that time, everyone will have a mobile phone and no one will have cash in their pockets, and most thieves will naturally disappear.

"Comrade Zhou Yi, why are you arresting this person? Could it be that he's a fugitive criminal suspect?"

"Oh, no. I'm on a business trip, and I'm traveling with a victim's family member. This person must have stolen her wallet. The documents in the wallet are related to a case we're working on, so we need to get them back."

Upon hearing this, the railway policeman walked over, kicked the squatting pickpocket, and demanded, "You little rascal, you're not being honest, are you? You said you only stole two? Tell me! How many did you actually steal?"

"I really didn't, I only stole these two, I don't know about the others," the pickpocket said, feigning innocence as he covered his head.

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Do you think that stealing these two wallets isn't much money, and the amount isn't large, so you won't get a long sentence? Let me tell you, the identification in the wallet you stole in carriage number four when you boarded the train is related to a major criminal case we are investigating. Your actions constitute the crime of obstructing official business. With multiple crimes, do you think you can get a good outcome?"

"I..." The man looked up, his eyes clearly showing panic.

"You might as well confess honestly, expose all your accomplices, and make amends by doing good deeds. As long as you can get your documents back, I'll pretend the obstruction of official duties never happened."

Zhou Yi was simply bluffing him. The sentencing for theft primarily depends on the amount involved. The legal definition of obstructing official duties is more complex, generally involving the use of violence or threats to hinder police enforcement.

Therefore, the pickpocket's behavior does not actually reach the level of obstructing official business.

But how could such a pickpocket possibly understand such detailed legal issues? Besides, the only way to deal with this kind of person is to scare them.

Zhou Yi clearly remembers that on his first day at the Nanhu Street Police Station, his mentor Zhang Ning told him that police officers must uphold the law, but sometimes they also need to learn how to intimidate people.

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. Being too rule-abiding and rigid in every way restricts one's own actions.

As long as you don't make threats or intimidation during recorded legal proceedings such as interrogations, or in public places, it's fine.

So in the 1980s and 90s, this kind of thing was very common, and many people would back down after being scared.

However, with the development of technology, police officers now carry body cameras when responding to emergencies, and those being enforced against and bystanders can easily take out their phones to film and post the footage online.

Therefore, police officers need to be more cautious when responding to cases. However, Zhou Yi didn't remember much about that time because he was already sitting on the sidelines in the archives department.

"I told you... can I really atone for my crime through good deeds?" the pickpocket asked tentatively.

"That depends on whether what you're saying is valuable."

"How much...how much can the sentence be reduced?"

The railway police officer standing nearby was furious: "Hey, you dare to haggle?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the train's loudspeaker came on. It wasn't a standard computer-recorded message, but rather a verbal announcement from the train staff.

"Dear passengers, this train is expected to arrive at Kangcheng Station in five minutes. Passengers who need to get off, please prepare in advance. As the train's stop time is short, passengers who have not yet arrived at their station, please do not linger on the train to avoid missing your departure."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "Oh no, we're arriving earlier than I estimated."

Moreover, once the announcement is made, a large number of passengers preparing to get off the bus will crowd the doors and aisles, directly affecting their movement.

“In carriage eleven, row seven, seat four, that bearded man in the jacket, is he your accomplice?” Zhou Yi asked.

The pickpocket was immediately startled.

"Kid, do you really think we don't know who your accomplices are?"

(End of this chapter)