Chinanews.com, Shanghai, January 1 (Reporter Li Shuzheng) More than 8,1 shared bicycles should have been parked on various roads, but in just two months, they were transported "in batches", transported to other provinces and cities by large trucks, and sold after being dismantled at waste recycling stations.
Shanghai Pudong police smashed a gang that traveled across provinces to steal shared bicycles, and seized more than 1,<> stolen shared bicycles of various brands at scrap collection stations in other provinces and cities. Photo courtesy of the Pudong Branch of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau
The reporter learned from the Shanghai Pudong police on the 8th that recently, the Pudong police smashed a gang that stole shared bicycles across provinces, and seized more than 1,1000 stolen shared bicycles of various brands at the scrap collection stations in other provinces and cities, involving an amount of more than <>,<> yuan.
The person in charge of a bike-sharing project went to the Jiangzhen Police Station of the Pudong Branch of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau to report that a batch of his company's shared bicycles that should have been parked on the street "disappeared". After using GPS positioning, it was found that some of the shared bicycles were dismantled and abandoned in a nearby open space.
After receiving the report, the Jiangzhen Police Station, together with the Huinan Public Security Department of the sub-bureau, immediately launched an investigation. Through on-site investigation and analysis, 3 suspicious men entered the sight of the police. On December 2023, 12, the police rushed to other provinces and cities overnight, arrested 11 people including Li, Zheng, and Chen in one fell swoop, and seized more than 3,1 stolen shared bicycles of various brands at a waste collection station.
The picture shows a dismantled shared bicycle. Photo by Chinanews reporter Li Shuzheng
After interrogation, the suspect confessed that the three people were originally working at a scrap recycling station, and they started to "crooked their brains" after seeing various brands of shared bicycles on the street. After getting the parking space from the staff who had worked in the bike-sharing company, the three people searched for the shared bicycle parked on the remote road and loaded it away. Then classify and disassemble according to different parts and materials of the bicycle, and sell them to the corresponding steel mills, iron mills, etc., for "profit". According to the suspects, in order to improve "efficiency", they will also pay people to help steal shared bicycles.
The suspect classified and dismantled the bicycle according to different parts and different materials, and then sold it to the corresponding steel mills, iron mills, etc. Photo courtesy of the Pudong Branch of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau
After committing several crimes, the suspect turned his attention to a warehouse where a large number of shared bikes were parked. In order to prevent the company from discovering clues during the company's regular bicycle positioning inspections, the suspect stole the bicycles, cut off the locks with GPS trackers and put them in place, so that the company thought that the bicycles were still in the same place, and then took the locks out and scattered them everywhere, creating the illusion that the bicycles were still in use.
The police followed the line and arrested 8 more suspects involved in the theft. At present, 11 criminal suspects, including Li and Zheng, have been criminally detained in accordance with the law on suspicion of theft, and the case is under further investigation. (ENDS)