Man “cuts off own hand” in insurance scam

A businessman from Taiwan has been accused of cutting off his own hand in order to get an insurance payout, AsiaOne reports.

Police in mainland China believe Hu Chi-yang chopped off his left hand to defraud his insurance company of up to $1.6 million. But he says it was severed by muggers while he was visiting the mainland province of Fujian.

The mainland authorities yesterday laid out their arguments against Hu in a high-profile press conference in Fujian, whereas Taiwan police have not yet come a conclusion in the case.

According to mainland authorities, Hu rejected surgery to stitch back the severed part of the hand when he was brought to the hospital and had traces of an anesthetic drug in his blood.