THREE suspects have been detained for allegedly using two luxury cars to fake accidents and then blackmail drivers for compensation in Shenzhen, police said Tuesday.

    The suspects are suspected of involvement in more than 40 cases, driving a BMW or a Crown Victoria and targeting vehicles from outside the city. Police are searching for victims from across the country via microblogs.

    The BMW was involved in three very similar traffic accidents last year in Tongle, Nanshan District, prompting police to suspect foul play.

    Further investigations found that all the accidents occurred at an expressway exit where the BMW collided with another vehicle that was about to change lanes and get off the expressway.

    In one case, one of the suspects, identified as Zhang, demanded that the owner of a Lexus with Jiangxi license plates pay him 30,000 yuan (US$4,754) following a collision on Nanhai Boulevard in June last year. The Lexus owner, who was in Shenzhen to visit a friend, agreed to pay 15,000 yuan to “get out of the trouble.”

    The suspects were caught by police May 8. Police have called on victims and their relatives and friends to come forward with more clues to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

    (SD News)