Information Deep mystery surrounds the most sensational armed hold-up to have been perpetrated in the International Settlement in recent months, when eleven Chinese, most of them armed with Mauser pistols, forced a private motor car occupied by five Formosans, to stop at the point of their guns shotty after 3 am. yesterday on North Soochow Road, forced the Passengers to alight and subsequently left the scene with the car.
Two of the members of the gang were unable to get into the car fast enough and consequently remained on the street, one of them being able to make his escape, whilst the other was apprehended by the party of Formosans who walked him to Szechuen Road bridge, where they handed him over to the Japanese sentry. Shortly afterwards, a party from the Japanese Naval Landing Party Headquarters arrived at the ipridge and took charge of the arrested man.
High police officials questioned declined to give any details, whilst detectives from West Hongkew, Hongkew and Central stations were understood to be investigating the case yesterday, although a deep cloak of secrecy surrounded their work to such an extent that they denied the actual occurrence.
At Pistol Point It appears certain, however, that, when they realized that they were being threatened at the point of pistols, the Formosans called for help, whereupon a C. P. C. must have blown his whistle, this signal being heard not only by residents near the scene but also by a number of C. P. C/s on the South side of the Creek, who arrived on the scene, after the whole affair was over—The car had disappeared and the Formosans had marched off the only member of the gang that was apprehended.
It was believed last night, that the hold-up must be of a very serious nature, as otherwise there would have been very little difficulty in obtaining information on the case, whilst a short report for the press probably would have been released.
It was surmised that the party of Chinese lay in waiting for the car and stopped with it, not with the purpose of robbing the inmates, as they could have done this and subsequently permitted them to drive on, but that they were actually after the contents of the vehicle and had premeditated the theft of the car, having a driver in their midst: It is also obvious that the gangsters meant no harm to the occupants of the vehicle and merely wanted to evict them from their vehicle. The gang was well armed and each man presumably knew his part in the hold-up because, judging by the fact that the running C. P. C's did not reach the scene in time—although they must have been standing nearby—which leads to the belief that the entire incident occured within a matter of seconds.
"Hi-jacked" Cargo Speculation is thus rife, with regard to the contents of the car and it wás not believed unlikely that narcotics may have been in the vehicle and that the gang "hi-jacked" the cargo in a similar manner as did another gang some months ago on Brenan Road, when, it will be recalled a large quantity of opium was taken away by a gang who worked in almost the same manner. The van, which at the time had been used, was later found abandoned in the French Concession, but enquiries regarding the missing car in yesterday's affair, made early this morning, revealed that it had not as yet been located.
Meanwhile, the fate of the apprehended gangster, could not be ascertained at the time of going to press although it was understood that the Formosan owner of the car was yesterday questioned by detectives from West Hongkew station. The Formosans should have handed the arrested man over to the Central sta-ion, it is asserted, instead of taking him to the Japanese sentry on the bridge. It is, therefore, surmised that the man will eventually be handed over to the S. M. P. for questioning, once the Japanese Naval Lading Party officials will have obtained a statement from him.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.