The matter is becoming a hot topic in Taiwan. (symbolic picture)
A woman in Taiwan is accused of hiding her dead father’s body in her home for years to collect a military pension. The identity of the woman has not been released to the South China Morning Post. The report said that the woman had been living with her father for more than five decades. Authorities first became suspicious last November when health officials were denied entry to their home to carry out dengue-prevention measures. Because of this, the woman was fined NT$60,000 (approximately ₹1.50 lakh).
Each time he told a different story
The woman’s persistent refusal to let government officials into her home raised suspicions and forced the police to investigate the matter. When the officers questioned the woman strictly about her father’s whereabouts, she initially claimed that he was in a nursing home. When the police pressed him further, he changed his story and claimed that his brother had taken his father from Kaohsiung to his hometown. The police investigated her claim and found that the woman’s brother had been dead for 50 years and that there was no record of the woman’s father leaving Taiwan. The woman again lied and said that her father died at the ancestral home, but she could not produce his death certificate.
A skeleton was found in the trash
The police had to search her property due to the woman’s frequently changing stories. A black plastic garbage bag containing the bones of an old man was found in his house. On investigation, the police found that the man had died a long time ago. A forensic expert said it usually takes one to two years for a body to decompose into a skeleton. The woman’s father had served in the army for more than 20 years and received monthly pension according to his rank and service history. Taiwanese military veterans typically receive an average monthly pension of NT$49,379 (approximately ₹1.27 lakh).
A woman will get such a punishment
The cause of death of the woman’s father is currently being investigated and the officials are also investigating whether the woman has committed any other serious crime apart from hiding her father’s body. Under Taiwanese law, damaging, abandoning, desecrating or stealing a dead body carries severe penalties, including up to five years in prison. If a direct relative or close family member is involved in such offence, the punishment can be increased up to 1.5 times. Meanwhile, the woman is undergoing treatment under police supervision. The matter is becoming a hot topic in Taiwan.