4 arrested for fraud in name of quake relief
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Chinese police have arrested four people suspected of taking donations for quake relief in the name of a charity group in two separate cases, said a statement issued Wednesday by the Ministry of Public Security.
In one case, the Qinghai provincial office of China Construction Bank informed local police upon discovering a suspicious personal account while scrutinizing quake relief accounts on April 16.
Four days later, police arrested a man surnamed Xue in south China's Hainan Province, and confiscated four bank cards and two cell phones.
The statement said Xue was alleged to have posted fraudulent Internet solicitations in the name of the China Red Cross Foundation after learning about the quake that hit Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province.
As of Tuesday, the police had retrieved 3,100 yuan of the 4,571 yuan (670 U.S. dollars) from Xue's account, said the statement.
In the second case, three people were arrested Tuesday in Hainan for allegedly perpetrating a similar fraud.
The statement said "a number of donations, each worth hundreds of yuan" were found in their personal accounts disguised as charity accounts under the name of the China Red Cross Foundation.
The statement gave no indication as to whether the two cases were connected.
On Monday, the country's anti-graft chief He Guoqiang called for strengthened supervision of relief fund and materials in the quake zone, promising harsh punishments for dereliction of duty and embezzlement.
He, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, urged transparent and fair use of all funds and materials, and promised timely publication of the latest relief information.
A 7.1-magnitude quake struck Yushu on April 14. It has left at least 2,064 people dead, 175 missing, and 12,135 injured by Tuesday.
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