The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 874 Qin Chuan chairs the case analysis meeting

Li Ming's gaze sharpened, and he said seriously, "Don't be nervous, we're here to investigate Wang Liqiang's case. Does he owe you a lot of money?" The casino owner hesitated for a moment, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, before nodding and admitting, "He does owe some money, but we collect debts according to the rules, and we would never cause a death." Li Ming pressed further, "When was the last time you urged him to pay? Did you threaten him?" The casino owner quickly waved his hand, explaining, "We did urge him a few days ago, just a phone call to remind him, we didn't threaten him at all. He didn't have any money to begin with, and if we pushed him too far, he'd be even less able to pay."

Despite Li Ming and his officers' extensive and meticulous investigation, including interviews with numerous people close to Wang Liqiang, they still couldn't find a clear motive or suspect. Back at the police station, a weary Li Ming reported the investigation results to Qin Chuan: "Chief Qin, after several days of in-depth investigation, we've learned that Wang Liqiang divorced due to gambling and has become estranged from his relatives. Although he offended some people at the construction site with his gossip, nothing escalated to a life-or-death situation. The debt collection efforts from the casino have also been relatively restrained. Currently, we haven't found any direct clues related to the murder."

After listening, Qin Chuan crossed his arms in front of his chest, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Okay, notify the key members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment to gather at 10 am tomorrow. We'll hold a case analysis meeting to gather all the current clues and analyze them together."

The next morning, the atmosphere in the conference room of the Criminal Investigation Division was heavy and oppressive.

Qin Chuan arrived at the meeting room early, his gaze sweeping over the case clue board on the wall, densely covered with crime scene photos, investigation records, and suspect information. As the attendees took their seats, Qin Chuan cleared his throat and formally announced: "Comrades, today we are holding the first case analysis meeting for the murder case in Gejiagou Village. This case is heinous in nature and has a significant social impact. We must solve it as soon as possible and give the deceased and their family an explanation. Now, the crime scene investigation team will report on their findings."

Xiao Zhao, the head of the on-site investigation team, stood up, holding a stack of investigation reports. His expression was serious. "Director Qin, comrades, after a careful examination of the crime scene, we have collected some important clues. We found rope marks around the body, and initially determined that the rope was the murder weapon. We also collected shoe prints and cigarette butts at the scene. However, after analysis, some of the shoe prints belong to the person who reported the crime, and the saliva DNA on the cigarette butts did not match any records in the database. In addition, we also found some fibrous material at the scene, which the technical department is currently analyzing in depth."

Qin Chuan nodded slightly and turned his gaze to forensic doctor Zhang Lin: "Forensic doctor Zhang, it's your turn to report the autopsy results."

Zhang Lin stood up, adjusted her glasses, and stated clearly, "The autopsy determined that the deceased, Wang Liqiang, died of mechanical asphyxiation, approximately one week prior. There were obvious ligature marks on his neck, consistent with the rope found at the scene. Additionally, there were restraint marks on his wrists, indicating he had been bound before death. We extracted skin tissue and blood from under his fingernails, which have been sent for DNA testing, but no matching results have been obtained yet. Furthermore, analysis of his stomach contents revealed that he had consumed rice, vegetables, and meat two to three hours before his death."

After listening to the report, Li Ming stood up and reported the results of the investigation into Wang Liqiang's interpersonal relationships: "Director Qin, after several days of in-depth investigation into Wang Liqiang's interpersonal relationships, we have learned that Wang Liqiang is a local of Dongchuan City, divorced and single, and his parents work in the south. His gambling addiction not only led to his divorce but also caused him to borrow a lot of money from relatives that he has not repaid, thus estranged his family relationships. While working on the construction site, he offended some coworkers with his gossip, but none of these incidents escalated into serious conflicts. In addition, we have also discovered that Wang Liqiang has accumulated a considerable amount of gambling debts at casinos."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the young police officer, Xiao Wang, couldn't help but chime in: "I think Wang Liqiang's death is very likely related to gambling. He owed so much money at the casino, and the casino might take extreme measures to collect the debt."

Veteran police officer Zhang shook his head and objected: "The casino owner has made it clear that they are following the rules when collecting debts; they only made a phone call to remind us and did not make any threats. Moreover, judging from the situation at the scene, the perpetrator's methods were quite covert. If it were a casino collecting debts, there would be no need to make it so complicated."

Xiao Wang retorted, unconvinced: "Maybe the casino owner is lying? They're saying this on purpose to cover up their crimes. Besides, Wang Liqiang's gambling certainly involved more than just the casino owner; he might have had conflicts with other gamblers as well."

After a moment's thought, Li Ming said, "Xiao Wang makes a good point. Although the casino owner claims to be restrained in collecting debts, we cannot rule out the possibility that they are lying. Moreover, Wang Liqiang must have a fixed circle of gamblers, and we should focus our investigation on all the people who have gambled with him."

Xiao Zhao, the head of the on-site investigation team, added: "Judging from the cigarette butts found at the scene, the perpetrator likely lingered there and smoked before or after the crime. This suggests that the perpetrator was familiar with the environment and may have been someone Wang Liqiang knew. Considering Wang Liqiang's gambling background, it's highly probable that the murder was triggered by a conflict between gamblers."

Forensic pathologist Zhang Lin reminded them, "The skin tissue and bloodstains extracted from the victim's fingernails are likely left by the perpetrator during the crime when the victim resisted. If a matching DNA can be found, the perpetrator can be identified directly."

Qin Chuan listened attentively to everyone's remarks, occasionally taking notes in his notebook. Once the discussion had subsided, he said, "Comrades, everyone's analysis has some merit. Currently, Wang Liqiang's gambling background is indeed a crucial breakthrough in the case. Next, we need to intensify our investigation of those who gambled with him, including casino owners, gamblers, and casino staff. At the same time, we must closely monitor the progress of the technical department's fibrous material and DNA testing results. Li Ming, you are responsible for organizing the police force to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all personnel related to the casino, ensuring meticulous attention to detail and leaving no clue unchecked."

Li Ming stood up and replied firmly, "Director Qin, I will definitely lead my team to do our best!"

After the meeting, Li Ming quickly returned to his office and convened a team meeting. "Comrades, Director Qin has clarified the direction of the investigation. Our next focus is on investigating those who participated in gambling with Wang Liqiang. Everyone must stay alert, carefully investigate each suspect, and strive to solve the case as soon as possible."

Subsequently, Li Ming assigned the investigation tasks in detail, and the team members quickly threw themselves into the intense investigation work after receiving their orders.