JOINING hands with the municipal public security bureau and the State taxation bureau, the city’s market and quality supervision commission recently busted a gang allegedly involved in forging business licenses, arresting more than 20 suspects, sznews.com reported.

A large number of business licenses, ID cards, USB keys, seals and account opening certificates were seized. In addition to business licenses that were illegally registered in the city, there were licenses registered in other cities of Guangdong Province, Liaoning Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Earlier this year, a resident surnamed Wang reported to the municipal market inspection bureau that 50 companies had been illegally registered under his name in different places after he lost his ID card.

An investigation was immediately launched. It was uncovered that most of the alleged companies were involved in issuing false invoices. In particular, one company had illegally issued value-added tax invoices amounting to over 30 million yuan (US$4.38 million).

Law enforcement officers found that two financial management companies were involved in the case, and seized 38 forged business licenses, 130 seals, 53 USB keys and 35 ID cards during a raid of one company, which had illegally registered 42 out of the 50 companies.

As the registered addresses on the business licenses and ID cards involved many provinces and cities, the investigation into the case is ongoing.

The case is one of the eight major cases cracked by the city’s market and quality supervision commission since it launched a crime crackdown campaign across the city this year, according to the report.

The other seven cases involved blackmailing businesses, forcing transactions, swindling the elderly, illegally raising funds, producing and selling fake liquor, infringing on trademarks and coercing consumption.

(Zhang Yu)