Chengdu Railway Public Security Bureau told the Legal
Daily on Tuesday that 17 railway police officers have been
arrested for colluding with thieves for money.
They have been accused of turning a blind eye to the activities
of a 16-member gang active at Chengdu North Railway Station in
southwest China's Sichuan
Province between 2003 and early this year, even offering
protection in return for money.
Since last June, the gang began to deposit money into the
officers' bank accounts instead of giving them cash. Between
December and January, more than 80,000 yuan (US$9,600) was
deposited.
After the collusion was uncovered, nearly 240,000 yuan
(US$29,000) was confiscated from the accused officers, and one of
them was found to have over 1 million yuan (US$120,000) with no
identifiable source, said Ren Xiaohua, a local railway police
investigator.
The bureau said that a complaint letter from a serviceman, who
had witnessed a thief hand his and another victim's wallets to an
officer on January 10, led to their exposure. When challenged, the
officer returned only his wallet and let the thief go.
The Chengdu railway police started an investigation and, on
February 23, found that many officers were colluding with the gang,
who were mainly from Yibin in Sichuan.
Wang Mou, the gang's alleged boss, started stealing at the
station in the early 1990s. After offering bribes to four station
police officers, he established the gang.
According to Wang, the gang offered a bribe of 400-600 yuan
(US$48-72) each time they entered the railway station's lounge.
Whenever a thief stole 500-1,000 yuan (US$60-121), they would give
half the sum to the police.
After a thief was caught, the police would pretend to help the
passenger, comforting them. But after the passenger left, they
would destroy the record and let the thief walk away, Wang
said.
As one of China's eight largest railway stations, Chengdu North
Railway Station handles a daily average of about 70,000
passengers.
There are less than 110 railway police officers there, and
though only 17 have been arrested, about 25 are thought to have
been involved and are being investigated.
According to Xie Zhengdong, an information officer with Chengdu
Railway Public Security Bureau, the police station has changed its
chief.
Fifteen of the thieves have been caught, Xie said, with one
still at large.
(China Daily May 25, 2005)