Around China

Guangdong

Victim falls for telephone scam

A woman in Guangzhou sought police help on March 26 after falling victim to a telephone scam and being defrauded of 67,000 yuan ($9,730). The woman, surnamed Wu, said she had received a call claiming to be from the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The person on the other end of the line told Wu she was suspected of money laundering and instructed her to transfer a sum of money into a "safety account". Wu became suspicious when she transferred money on two separate occasions, only for the "procurator" to ask her for more. Police have launched a probe.

Information Times

Former fugitive reunites with mom

A convict who spent 13 years on the run after killing a man in a fight in 1998 saw his mother for the first time in two decades on March 28. Li Chen was just 17 when he became a fugitive and from that point until surrendering to police, he was unable to see his parents. He was sentenced to 12 years behind bars in 2012. After seeing his mother, he said he wished he had turned himself in earlier.

Newssc.org

Sichuan

Ripped passport halts holiday

An elderly couple from Chengdu had to cut short their tour of Southeast Asia on March 23 after a 1-cm-long tear was discovered in one of their passports. The couple, surnamed Li and Zhang, were due to visit three countries in the region in what was to be their first vacation abroad. However, they were prevented from boarding a plane bound for Singapore from Thailand after the problem was found with the passport. Li and Zhang alleged that a tour guide had deliberately made the tear because they had refused to go shopping.

Huaxi Metropolis Daily

Shaanxi

Staged crash damages luxury car

A man in Jingbian county who faked a traffic accident in an attempt to commit insurance fraud was jailed for three years with a four-year reprieve on March 7. The 27-year-old, surnamed Shi, was found guilty of colluding with three other drivers, surnamed Miao, Zhang and Lei, to stage the crash in August. Shi had damaged his luxury car previously, but did not have enough money to pay for it to be repaired. His car sustained about 100,000 yuan ($14,400) worth of damage in the staged crash. In addition to his jail sentence, Shi was also fined 10,000 yuan.

Huashang Daily

Thief holds mirror hostage

A woman in Xi'an, surnamed Wang, had one of her car's side view mirrors held hostage by a thief on March 24. Wang had just finished eating dinner with friends at about 7 pm when she returned to her car on Hongying road and found the mirror missing. There was a note attached to the car window that read: "I have no money, please help." Wang called the phone number on the note and was told she could have her mirror back for 300 yuan ($43). She paid the money and was directed to a trash can near a primary school, where the mirror had been hidden. Wang said a new mirror would have cost at least 3,000 yuan from a service center.

Huashang Daily

Jiangsu

Bride suspects peeping Toms

A woman in Nanjing who claims she was spied on while getting changed is seeking compensation from the hotel where she stayed for her wedding. The bride, surnamed He, said she saw several men in the room next door watching her get dressed after taking a bath. They were apparently able to do so because of the way the hotel's windows are designed. He said she suspected that her sister and two nieces had also been spied upon. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Chinaso.cn