Featured Image Credit: Jam Press
Topics: Health, Money, World News, Weird
Anish Vij
A man identified only by his surname Chang has been charged after allegedly trying to claim over £1million for a double amputation via frostbite.
The 24-year-old from Taiwan has been accused of deliberately immersing his legs in an ice bucket, as his limbs were amputated for frostbite last February.
His legs were reportedly immersed in -78.5C water for a whopping 10 hours - and this was allegedly all for a £1million insurance payout.
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Meanwhile, the suspect claimed he simply suffered the frostbite injuries during a scooter accident in northern Taiwan just days earlier.
However, according to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, he was said to have been helped by an accomplice, known as Liao, 24.
He allegedly helped Chang with filling up the plastic bucket, before strapping him into a chair with cable ties.
The prosecutor’s statement from 14 March claims that Liao documented the whole thing between 2am and noon on 27 January 2023.
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It was heard that the suspects claimed over £5,489 from one insurance firm a month after Chang lost his lower legs.
Although four other insurance companies were reportedly unwilling to give a payout.
Amid the eight disability claims, all of the five firms they contacted reported the duo's alleged antics.
In total, the claims tallied up to around £1million.
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Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that Chang took out a number of high-payout insurance packages just days before the 'scooter trip'.
A CIB spokesperson said: “However, Taiwan is a subtropical region.
“There are no known cases of serious frostbite requiring amputation due to natural climate factors in the flatlands.”
From the day of the scooter trip, the CIB presented evidence that the temperatures were between 6.1C and 17C, which is too warm to cause frostbite.
The CIB also revealed that pictures, which were obtained from the hospital where Chang was treated, showed 'symmetrical' injuries that are unusual for typical frostbite victims.
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The images suggested that Chang was not wearing socks or shoes at the time of his injuries, which investigators reinforced the idea that the marks were 'man-made'.
During a raid last year, police also found the bucket that Chang may have used, along with a polystyrene box that held the dry ice.
It appears Chang and Liao were once childhood friends who reportedly went to school together.
The duo have now been charged with insurance fraud and attempted insurance fraud.
LADbible has contacted Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau for an update.