Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

“Wang Hu’s only sister, Wang Lan, married and moved to a rural area in a neighboring city. She lives in Wangjia Village, Qinghe Town. According to Wang Hu’s wife, Wang Hu and Wang Lan were the closest of friends, and he always liked to consult his sister when he encountered problems,” said team member Xiao Chen, pointing to “Wang Lan” on the relationship chart. “We retrieved Wang Hu’s call records and found that he had several calls with Wang Lan last year. Although the calls decreased this year, Wang Lan’s phone number had a missed call last Thursday morning. The call was made shortly after Wang Hu went missing, which is very likely that Wang Hu contacted his sister for help.”

Zhang Hui immediately arranged for his team to contact the Qinghe Town Police Station to verify Wang Lan's specific address and recent situation. Half an hour later, the police station reported back: "Wang Lan lives at the east end of Wangjia Village. Her husband works away from home, and she and her 10-year-old child live alone. Last Thursday afternoon, someone saw a white van parked in her yard and it didn't leave afterward. The left front light of the van seemed to be broken and was taped up, which matches the characteristics of Wang Hu's vehicle."

"This is it!" Zhang Hui excitedly slammed his hand on the table and immediately reported the situation to Lu Chuan, "Captain Lu, Wang Hu is most likely hiding at his sister Wang Lan's house. There's evidence of a white van. I suggest we organize an immediate arrest!"

Upon receiving the report, Lu Chuan immediately decided that Wang Shuai would lead the team to carry out the arrest: "Wang Shuai, you take 8 police officers and divide them into two groups. One group will be responsible for setting up an outer perimeter to prevent Wang Hu from escaping; the other group will be responsible for entering the house to make the arrest. Pay attention to the safety of Wang Lan and the child and avoid any accidents. In addition, contact the Qinghe Town Police Station and ask them to send 2 police officers familiar with the local terrain to assist in ensuring the arrest goes smoothly."

At 2 p.m., Wang Shuai led his team to Wangjia Village in Qinghe Town. In the car, he held up a topographical map of Wang Lan's house and explained the plan to his team: "Wangjia Village is a typical rural village. Wang Lan's house is located at the east end of the village. It is a detached house with a cornfield to the east, a small river to the west, and vegetable gardens to the north. Only a cement road leads to the village entrance on the south side. The terrain is quite complex and could give Wang Hu an opportunity to escape."

He pointed to the markings on the topographic map and continued, “We will split into two groups. The first group, led by Xiao Li, consists of four people, carrying shields and capture tools. They will approach from the south side of the cement road to break through from the front and control the gate and living room. The second group, led by me, consists of four people, carrying climbing tools. They will sneak in from the cornfield on the east side of the yard to control the backyard and the second-floor windows, preventing Wang Hu from escaping from the backyard or the second floor. Police officers from Qinghe Town Police Station will be responsible for setting up roadblocks at the village entrance and major intersections outside the village to intercept any vehicles and personnel that may try to escape.”

“Wang Hu is 178cm tall and of medium build. He may be carrying a weapon and has violent tendencies. Everyone must be careful and try to avoid direct confrontation,” Wang Shuai emphasized. “If Wang Hu resists, use pepper spray to subdue him first, then make the arrest to ensure the safety of yourself and the surrounding villagers. Also, Wang Lan has children, so please keep your voices down during the operation to avoid frightening the children.”

At 3:30 p.m., the arrest team arrived near Wangjia Village and lay in wait in an abandoned house about 500 meters from Wang Lan's home. Wang Shuai observed Wang Lan's house through binoculars: the gate to the yard was tightly closed, and a white van was parked inside, its left headlight taped shut, exactly matching the description of Wang Hu's vehicle; the windows on the second floor were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn tightly, making it impossible to see anything inside; the cornfield on the east side of the yard was growing vigorously, with a height of about 1.8 meters, which could serve as a concealed infiltration route.

"Xiao Li, your first group will slowly approach along the cement road, be careful to stay hidden and not alert the people inside; our second group will go around from the cornfield to the backyard. Once you reach the designated position, I will give the signal to move out and launch the attack at the same time." Wang Shuai gave the order through the walkie-talkie, and then led the second group of members to bend down and crawl into the cornfield.

The corn leaves rustled softly against the team members' arms. Wang Shuai led the way, a dagger in his hand, carefully parting the corn stalks blocking his path, his eyes fixed on the yard ahead. About 10 minutes later, the second group of team members reached the wall on the east side of the yard. The wall was about 2 meters high, with a few shards of glass at the top to prevent outsiders from climbing.

“Use the climbing ladder to go up from the corner on the west side of the wall; there are no glass shards there,” Wang Shuai whispered. The team members quickly unfolded the ladder and leaned it gently against the wall to avoid making a sound. Wang Shuai was the first to climb the wall and observe the situation in the yard from the top: the yard was empty, a white van was parked in the middle of the yard, and the doors were locked; the back gate was ajar, and the sound of a television could be faintly heard coming from inside. At this moment, Xiao Li's voice came through the walkie-talkie: “The first group has reached the south gate and is ready.” Wang Shuai took a deep breath and said into the walkie-talkie, “Move!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Li led the first group of team members to the gate and rammed it with a breaching hammer. With a loud crash, the gate was smashed open. The team members, armed with shields, quickly rushed into the yard and secured the entrance to the living room. At the same time, Wang Shuai led the second group of team members to jump down from the wall, rush to the backyard, push open the half-closed back door, and enter the house.

In the living room, Wang Lan was sitting on the sofa watching TV, while her child played nearby. Upon seeing the police officers suddenly burst in, Wang Lan screamed in fright, and her child started crying. "Don't be afraid, we are from the Criminal Investigation Division, on official business. We are looking for Wang Hu, please cooperate!" Officer Li showed his identification and reassured her, "Please tell us, where is Wang Hu?"

Wang Lan's face was pale, her eyes were panicked, and she stammered, "I...I don't know, he didn't come to my house..."

"Whose white van is that in the yard? Why is the left headlight taped up?" Wang Shuai walked into the living room, his sharp gaze fixed on Wang Lan. "We have evidence that Wang Hu is in your house. If you conceal this, you will be committing the crime of harboring a criminal, which will not do you or your child any good."

Wang Lan's body trembled slightly, and tears streamed down her face: "He...he's in the bedroom upstairs. Please don't hurt him. He was just confused for a moment..."

Wang Shuai immediately spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Attention, Wang Hu is in the bedroom on the second floor, and may be carrying a weapon. Everyone be careful!" Then, he led three team members slowly up the stairs to the second floor. The stairs were narrow and dimly lit, and the creaking sound of the stair treads could be heard with every step.

Upon reaching the bedroom door on the second floor, Wang Shuai signaled to his team members to get ready, then gently knocked on the door: "Wang Hu, we are from the Criminal Investigation Division. You are surrounded. Open the door and surrender immediately to try and receive leniency!"

There was no response from inside, only a slight noise. Wang Shuai gave a signal, and one of the team members kicked the door open with a bang. The team members rushed into the bedroom and saw Wang Hu standing by the window, holding a fruit knife, staring at them fiercely: "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll jump!" (End of Chapter)