Eight foreigners have been detained in four criminal cases since mid-September, the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate Prosecutor's Office revealed Tuesday even as it warned residents not to blindly believe "international friends."

The suspects are from Iran, Mali, Pakistan and the Philippines.

The office gave details of the latest case, in which one of the suspects, identified as Moulaye from Mali, Africa, played a magic-like trick and cheated 160,000 yuan (US$19,277) from a local businessman, identified only as Zhang.

Moulaye first met Zhang in 2001 through the garment business. This July, he visited Zhang's home, claiming to "talk about a profitable business," prosecutors said.

Appearing as if he was about to reveal a big secret, Moulaye asked Zhang to shut the door and took out two sheets of black paper, plus a small glass bottle. He dropped some transparent fluid from the bottle into a basin of water, in which he dipped the papers. After a few seconds, the two sheets turned into two 100 face-valued US dollar notes.

The incredulous Zhang, at Moulaye's request, went to a nearby bank, where the two notes were identified as real, prosecutors said.

Zhang later accepted the African's offer to process paper sheets into US banknotes at his residence and share the "products" with Zhang.

The gullible businessman then gave Moulaye 160,000 yuan to buy "the special chemicals to make the transparent fluid," prosecutors said.

The Mali native was caught while trying to pass a frontier station in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, in August after local police had sounded a nationwide alert following Zhang's complaint.

So far, Moulaye hasn't confessed about the paper-to-note secret but prosecutors believe the two black paper sheets Zhang saw might have been real notes, which were smudged with black dye that dissolved in the particular solution.

The other foreign suspects were involved in cases such as cheating money via currency exchanges and spending on stolen credit cards.

According to the office, residents' blind trust in these "international friends" made it easier for the latter.

No trial date in the four cases has been set, but the accused cannot evade criminal charges, prosecutors said, adding the suspects, if found guilty, will be deported.

(eastday.com October 29, 2003)