News
Man Soaks His Legs in Dry Ice for 10 Hours As Bait for Insurance
A couple of Taiwanese university students are being accused of faking frostbite injuries that eventually warranted a double amputation to defraud insurance companies.
Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau has accused a university student surnamed Chang of conspiring with a former high-school colleague named Liao to orchestrate a bizarre insurance fraud in January of last year. Evidence presented to prosecutors shows that in early January of last year, Chang took out policies covering disabilities, injuries, health, and travel safety from at least five insurers. On the night of January 26, both Chang and Liao rode their motorcycles through Taipei, to make it seem like one of them suffered frostbite because of the cold weather. In reality, the frostbite was self-inflicted and caused by a bucket of dry ice.
Chang and Liao hoped to pocket around 41 million TWD ($1.29 million) from the insurance policies they had taken out, but in order to do that, one of them had to make a very tough choice. After discussing the best course of action, Chang agreed to give up both his legs for a slightly bigger piece of the pie (25 million TWD). He had to soak his feet in a bucket of dry ice for more than 10 hours and agreed to be tied to a chair by Liao, to ensure that he put up with the grueling pain.
On January 28, after 10 hours of soaking his legs in dry ice, Chang had to be hospitalized and because doctors could no longer save his lower limbs, he suffered a double below-the-knee amputation. He filed insurance claims almost immediately after being discharged and he actually got paid 230,000 TWD ($7240) by one insurer, but the rest decided to investigate the case.
The unusual number of insurance policies taken out in such a short period of time and the circumstances of Chang’s frostbite injuries were considered suspicious by insurance companies, some of which reported the case to the local authorities. During the investigation that followed, prosecutors found that Chang had unusually symmetrical injuries that lacked an imprint from his shoes or socks.
While checking the weather on January 26, the night that the frostbite injuries allegedly occurred, temperatures ranged from 6 degrees Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius, for from cold enough to cause frostbite. While checking the two young men’s homes, authorities found insurance documents, medical records, as well as a styrofoam box in which dry ice had been stored.
Prosecutors claim that Liao was facing serious financial problems due to losing his money on the cryptocurrency market and managed to convince Chang to go along with his plan and get a huge payout. On March 14 both men were charged with fraud, but Liao was also charged for causing his friend’s serious physical injuries.
This case once again proves that some people will do anything for money. Just a few weeks ago, we posted about a paraplegic man who paid someone to cuto off his legs and make it look like an accident for insurance fraud purposes, but there was also the case of a Slovakian woman who allegedly cut off her own hand for an insurance payout, as well as the Vietnamese woman who paid someone to cut off her hand and foot to claim an insurance payout.
.. declare enough is enough
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has given herdsmen in Enugu State a 48-hour ultimatum to leave the area declaring that enough is enough.
The coalition, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its President-General, Goodluck Ibem, expressed concerns over alleged killings and rapes by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo LGA of the state.
Ibem described the activities of the alleged herdsmen as wicked, nefarious, and satanic, saying the coalition “condemns it in its entirety.”
According to him, the so-called Fulani herdsmen are not herdsmen but terrorists who are on a land-grabbing mission,” stressing that there is no correlation between the rearing of cattle and “the killing of innocent human beings in their own town.”
“For these terrorists to be raping our women and inserting sticks into their private parts after raping them is the worst wickedness against humanity, and it must not go unpunished.
“The good people of Enugu have complained enough about these killings and rapes, and it is time for the governor, Chief Peter Mbah, who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, and the Chief of Defence Staff to arrest these perpetrators and prosecute them accordingly.
“We call on the youths of Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo LGA, and other communities in Enugu State and the South East states to wake up from their slumber and sack killer Fulani terrorists parading as herdsmen from their communities
By Gloria Ikibah
First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Jibrin Barau, has reiterated the bloc’s determination to achieve regional economic integration and a single currency, despite recent challenges, including the withdrawal of three Sahelian nations.
Addressing journalists at the 1st Extraordinary Session of ECOWAS for 2025 in Lagos, Barau emphasised that uniting the region economically remains a top priority.
He dismissed colonial-era borders as artificial divisions, insisting that West Africans have always been one people. He highlighted the region’s shared linguistic and cultural ties as a natural foundation for economic unification.
Barau pointed to existing infrastructure projects facilitating regional economic integration, such as cross-border highways, healthcare systems, and aviation connections.
Drawing parallels with Europe’s economic model, he expressed confidence that the single currency initiative would eventually become a reality.
Chidebe Ibeakuzie (aka Mighty), a youth leader in Obosi community, Idemili North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, has been shot dead.
Multiple sources said he was shot dead by security agents in a tussle over the ownership and control of a tricycle park near the military cantonment in Onitsha.
During the clash, two Obosi youths were reportedly abducted, others injured, while an unspecified number of Keke Operators and passersby sustained gunshot injuries.
The unrest stemmed from a heated dispute between the families of late Tochukwu Anyaoku, an Obosi native, and Edward Ibuzo, a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency.
The late Anyaoku had leased the tricycle park before his death last year, with his wife taking over its management after his demise.
However, Ibuzo allegedly laid claim to the land, sparking a bitter standoff.
Obosi youths accused Ibuzo of orchestrating the attack by engaging operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who they claim were responsible for the fatal shooting of Mighty.
In response, Ibuzo denied any involvement, stating via a WhatsApp call to journalists that he was in Germany at the time of the incident, while he also has a court judgement authorizing him to take over the park.
He alleged that DSS operatives had intervened after witnessing a suspected kidnapping, which led to an exchange of gunfire.
A prominent Obosi stakeholder, Omezie Chukwurah, also known as “Governor Obosi,” lamented the escalating violence, revealing that previous police interventions had led to another Obosi youth being shot in the head.
Immediate Avonex
He further alleged that the operatives who killed Mighty arrived in vehicles linked to Ibuzo.
The Sun
Angry South-East Youths Give Fulani Herdsmen 48 Hours To Vacate Enugu
ECOWAS Integration Unstoppable: Barau Reaffirms Commitment to Single Currency
Popular Youth Leader Shot Dead Over Tricycle Park Dispute By Security Operatives
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