Official prosecuted

AN official with Shenzhen culture and tourism bureau was prosecuted for allegedly taking bribes, Shenzhen People’s Procuratorate said at its public circular Friday.

The officer Chen was the department director responsible for cultural industry development. Chen was probed this June, less than a year after he was promoted to head of the department.

16 caught smuggling

HUANGGANG Customs recently caught 16 Hong Kong people, 15 male and one female, in 30 minutes trying to smuggle Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) in their backpacks through Futian Checkpoint.

They seemed not to know each other, but carried the same types of backpacks when they crossed the border on the morning of Sept. 6. This raised suspicions among the customs officers, who conducted checks and seized 526 LCDs, which had not been declared to customs. The LCDs have a total market value of 200,000 yuan (US$30,877).

They admitted that each person had been paid 200 yuan to smuggle the products.

Lending scam

A MAN surnamed Wang was arrested for cheating victims out of 10,000 yuan through an online money lending scam.

A female worker surnamed Lin in Pingdi, Longgang District joined a QQ group to inquire about online loans on Aug. 5. On Aug. 16, Lin discovered that a total of 7,380 yuan had been withdrawn from her bank card without her knowledge after a man in the group modified the payment codes on her phone.