Police in China’s Chongqing city have detained more than 1,500 suspects in a widening crackdown on organized crime that has implicated several senior officials, state media said yesterday.
A total of 1,544 suspected members of 14 different gangs are now in detention, while 469 on the wanted list are still at large, the China Daily said, citing officials in Chongqing.
The gangs that are being broken up are believed to have been involved in illegal loan businesses worth 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion), equivalent to one-third of the city’s annual revenue, the paper said.
The crackdown has attracted extra attention because it has also targeted Wen Qiang (文強), director of the city’s justice bureau, who allegedly protected the gangs from investigation.
Another senior public figure detained by police was Li Qiang (黎強), a local legislator and business executive, who allegedly used illegal methods to gain control of Chongqing’s transportation market, the paper said.
It reported that in the 30 minutes after Li was detained, his mobile phone received numerous text messages — many by members of the police force — urging him to flee.
China is ratcheting up its efforts to combat crime ahead of National Day on Oct. 1, which this year marks the 60th anniversary of communist rule.
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