Fake taxis preying on downtown night owls nailed
Two suspects have been caught for allegedly driving fake taxis in downtown Shanghai at night, police said on Tuesday.
Police in Huangpu District said they noticed a suspicious Falanhong taxi which often appeared in popular spots in the district late at night toward the end of November. Further investigation found that the taxi was using a forged plate.
The taxi was tracked down to a residential complex in the Pudong New Area, and its driver, a man surnamed Li, was caught on November 30.
On the same day, police also nailed another fake taxi driver, a man surnamed Zhang, in another residential complex.
The two suspects have allegedly confessed that they purchased the taxis with fake plates over the internet to run an illegal taxi business in Shanghai, starting at the beginning of this year.
Li was detained for 15 days and fined 10,000 yuan (US$1,450) for the offenses, and Zhang was fined 3,000 yuan with 12 points deducted from his driving license for using another person’s car plate.
Li (right) and Zhang (left) stand beside their fake taxis.
Police in Xuhui District said they caught another fake taxi driver last month after receiving a report from a taxi company.
The suspect, surnamed Zhu, used a forged plate and drove with no valid driving license, police said.
For his offenses, Zhu was detained for 20 days and fined 6,500 yuan.
