Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Wang Song has quite a workload; he has already questioned all the online specialty stores.

But as of now, no substantial clues have emerged.

According to Wang Song’s analysis, when the robbers were purchasing the bomb-proof suits, they probably already considered that the police would trace the origins through online channels.

So even if they bought them online, it might be sent to another location and then transported to Binzhou City through some means.

If this is the only clue, then Wang Song must investigate from a national perspective to hunt for any traces.

Then there is offline purchasing.

No clues have emerged in this aspect yet.

There are some security companies in Binzhou City.

But these security companies would not equip their employees with bomb-proof suits that offer 100% protection.

However, they should have offline channels for purchasing bomb-proof suits; President Wang has already dispatched people to investigate, but it’s too time-sensitive, and not much information has been fed back so far.

Next is Song Mingguang.

The investigation of the bank’s internal situation rests with Song Mingguang.

"We’ve mainly established two hypotheses: the first is that the robbers acted according to a predetermined plan without knowing about the additional large cash deposit at the bank."

"If that’s the case, and there’s an insider at the bank, then they should have notified the robbers early on via phone or message about when to carry out the robbery."

"The second hypothesis is that after discovering a coal-mining company deposited a large amount of cash, an insider informed the robbers, then they acted."

"According to the clues obtained from the investigation, the time of deposit from the coal-mining company at the two banks was in the afternoon."

"We focused on the period when the money was deposited to investigate if anyone made phone calls or sent messages."

"Especially in the bank that was robbed."

Song Mingguang turned on the projector, displaying an analysis chart.

"In theory, the likelihood of an insider at the robbed bank is the greatest because only then could the robbers obtain the most accurate information about the money delivery car."

"The coal-mining company deposited money at 5 PM, and the robbery occurred at 6 PM."

"During this period, 39 mobile phone calls were made from the bank."

"We tracked the recipients of these calls."

"As a result, now we have some findings."

"The teller handling the coal-mining deposits at the counter is named Zhang Xiaoyu; she made a phone call after completing the transaction."

"The call lasted 8 seconds, and the recipient was her boyfriend."

"According to bank regulations, employees are not allowed to make or receive calls during work hours; making a call during this time is actually a violation."

"Moreover, she only maintained an 8-second call with her boyfriend. What could be said in such a short time?"

"Also, a cleaner made a brief call after the coal-mining deposit."

"The recipient was his nephew, and the call lasted only 4 seconds."

"We think this person also warrants close observation."

"Others had call durations of over a minute, with the longest being 23 minutes."

"Logically speaking, if someone were tipping off, the call duration would be brief, so I feel those who had longer calls are less likely to be the robbers."

"Similar situations exist with the other two banks; we are currently analyzing each one, with two teams dispatched to investigate suspicious individuals."

"But so far, there’s been no breakthrough."

Everyone listened carefully to Song Mingguang’s report.

There has been certain progress and results in the investigation, but no decisive breakthrough has been achieved yet.

From the information provided by Song Mingguang or the investigations conducted, it seems the possibility of an insider is significant.

But this is merely speculation because the money delivery car’s arrival at the bank is generally fixed.

If the robbers closely observe, scout the locations, or have relevant work experience, they can easily grasp the cash delivery car’s regularity.

"Old Luo, how are things on your side?"

Luo Qiang is responsible for investigating the situation of staff working at the security company.

"First, the three borrowing personnel."

Luo Qiang initially investigated the background of the three escort personnel.

From the surveillance footage, it’s apparent that when the three escort personnel were held at gunpoint, there was essentially no resistance.

Though the robbers’ talk might have prepared them mentally, the escort process was more formal than substantial.

Therefore, the first thing Luo Qiang considered was whether the three escort personnel were involved in the case.

From a forensic perspective, it’s plausible.

Even if funds were stolen, the escort personnel would at most be dismissed, facing no legal responsibilities.

As the robbers mentioned, standing very close, using a shotgun; if an accident occurred, there could be unintended injuries, or injuries are almost certain.

The choice between protecting money and life was very evident for everyone.

So, with no responsibility and a legitimate excuse not to resist, why couldn’t the three escort personnel be involved?

"Currently, I’m conducting detailed investigations into the three escort personnel’s family backgrounds, financial conditions, and relationships."

"No clues have been found about their loyalties yet."

"Additionally, there’s the condition of former employees from the security company."

"The situation of the investigation... is not optimistic, as the company’s turnover rate is quite high."

"In just the past six months, twelve people have resigned or been dismissed."

"In the security company, I checked their personnel archives; this company has frequent personnel changes."

"Typically, over 20 people come and go within a year."

"So investigating from this angle means a substantial workload and it’s not particularly easy to find standout clues."

"Are more people dismissed?"

Li Donglin didn’t mention resignations but specifically asked about dismissals.

Luo Qiang naturally understood the implication: "This company’s management is quite strict; during working hours, escorts are prohibited from smoking and making phone calls, and chatting is not allowed."

"Violating these rules results in light punishment through a month’s salary or bonus deduction, severe consequences lead to immediate dismissal."

"So, those dismissed account for approximately 50% of all departures."

"Judging by today’s daytime visits and investigations, the dissatisfaction among former employees regarding this company is quite evident."

"Hence, collusion between insiders and departures staging a robbery isn’t impossible."