Police break up fake ID labor ring for restaurants
Natalie Wong
Thursday, September 30, 2010
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Police have smashed a syndicate that supplied migrant workers from northeastern China with forged Hong Kong identity cards so they could work in local restaurants.
Among the 57 people arrested in the three million yuan (HK$3.48 million) scam were nine managers from Chinese restaurants, including a high-end one in the Mid-Levels.
The Immigration Department carried out the two-day "Forestrike" operation jointly with police officers in Shenzhen and Guangdong.
Twenty-six of the arrests were made in Hong Kong and 31 in Shenzhen. Eleven workshops used to forge identity cards were also shut down.
Those arrested in the Hong Kong operation, mounted yesterday, range in age from 26 to 56 and were equally split between the sexes. They include nine restaurant bosses and 14 illegal workers.
Corrado Chow, assistant director of enforcement and torture claim assessments at the Immigration Department, said the ring brought in more than 100 people from the northeastern region via Shenzhen since March.
Each worker had to pay up 20,000 yuan before they were allowed to set off for Hong Kong. "The workers crossed the border and opened bank accounts in Hong Kong. The syndicate helped them find jobs with Hong Kong identity cards fabricated in Shenzhen," Chow said.
The 14 migrant laborers arrested in Hong Kong - two waiters and 12 cleaning workers - were paid between HK$6,000 and HK$7,000 per month, he said. The money was paid into their bank accounts by check.
In yesterday's joint operation, officers raided six worker residences and six restaurants, including the high-end Mid-Levels eatery.
They also seized 15 fake identity cards and 10 bank books.
Lui Man-fai, chief immigration officer, said: "Those arrested for working illegally here might pose as Hong Kong residents to deceive their bosses with forged documents."
The nine arrested restaurant bosses had conspired with the syndicate to provide jobs for these workers, according to Lui.
The 31 nabbed in Shenzhen included 11 core members of the ring.
Public Security Bureau officers also seized 200 fake identity cards, Hong Kong SAR passports and home-return permits in 11 workshops in Shenzhen.
Scanners, computers and cutting machines allegedly used for preparing the papers were also taken away.
Individuals convicted of possessing a forged Hong Kong identity card face up to 10 years' imprisonment and HK$100,000 fine.
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