Crime | hoax Neck Bomber Left Bizarre Clues Note listed name of Dirk Struan, obscure novel character By Kevin Spak Posted Aug 5, 2011 11:17 AM CDT Copied Police block a road in the Sydney suburb of Mosman, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011, where Madeleine Pulver was chained to a fake bomb for 10 hours. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) Whoever chained a fake bomb to 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver’s neck must have been well-read. The perpetrator left behind a ransom note that was signed “Dirk Struan”—the protagonist of James Clavell’s 1966 novel Tai-Pan, which told the story of two warring businessmen during the 1842 Opium War, MSNBC reports. Pulver’s father is the CEO of an IT company. The note's author instructed Pulver to contact him online and not to contact police, threatening to blow up the neck device if his orders weren’t followed. It didn’t actually contain any monetary demands, but police are treating this as an extortion case anyway. Another strange clue: Nestled within the fake bomb was a USB memory stick, though there’s no word yet on what it contained. Read These Next Sienna proves herself to be a very, very good dog. Three hikers jumped into a waterfall and never resurfaced. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. Report an error