A 23-year-old student in Taipei recently subjected his legs to a bucket filled with dry ice for 10 hours, causing severe frostbite and tissue death.

This action was part of an intricate insurance fraud scheme, resulting in the double amputation of his legs below the knees.

As per Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau, the student engaged in insurance fraud by self-inflicting harm to claim substantial disability payouts totaling NTD41.26 million (approximately RM6.19 million).

The student, known as Zhang, was allegedly convinced by his friend, Liao, to execute the fraudulent plan after Liao incurred losses from cryptocurrency trading, according to Business Insider.

Liao, also 23, deceived Zhang into signing a legal document obligating him to pay approximately USD800,000 (around RM3.76 million) and falsely claimed that gangsters were pursuing him for the amount.

Zhang acquired multiple insurance policies shortly before deliberately causing frostbite to his legs. Nonetheless, his compensation requests were rejected by eight insurance firms due to the suspicious timing of policy purchases and the subsequent claims after leg amputation.

Here's how the duo orchestrated the intricate plan:

According to the indictment, Zhang and Liao rode a scooter late at night to procure dry ice in Sanchong District, New Taipei City's western part, as reported by local media outlet Taiwan News.

Later that night, they returned to Liao's residence, where Liao restrained Zhang to a chair using cable ties. Zhang then immersed both legs into a plastic bucket filled with dry ice.

Zhang remained bound to the chair from 2 am until 12:30 pm the following day, enduring nearly 10 hours of pain. Subsequently, he was transported to the emergency department of Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei.

After over a week of treatment, doctors amputated both of Zhang's legs below the knees.

Zhang succeeded in receiving over NTD230,000 (approximately RM33,914) through a single insurance payout. However, he will now be required to return the money after their fraudulent activities came to light.

The duo's scheme was exposed when medical personnel at the hospital detected discrepancies while evaluating Zhang's condition.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau noted that Zhang's legs lacked shoe or sock imprints, and his injuries were symmetrical, inconsistent with natural frostbite. Additionally, severe frostbite cases necessitating amputation are unheard of in Taiwan due to its subtropical climate.

Upon Zhang's leg amputation, the hospital notified the authorities.

During the police investigation of Zhang and Liao, they discovered the plastic bucket used for freezing Zhang's feet, insurance documents, a white polystyrene box for dry ice storage, eight mobile phones, and a tablet computer.

Both Liao and Zhang, who is now permanently disabled, were apprehended in January of this year.

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has since charged them with fraud and embezzlement.