BEIJING: Authorities have cracked down on criminals who deliberately contaminate food at restaurants with objects and insects such as ants and cockroaches, and then blackmail the restaurants for compensation.
Police in Shiyan, Hubei province, recently arrested a suspect, surnamed Rong, who has allegedly blackmailed over 700 restaurants in more than 80 cities in 28 provincial-level regions since last year, defrauding businesses of more than 100,000 yuan ($14,000).
In late May, Rong dined at a restaurant at Shiyan Wudangshan Airport and claimed to have found ants in his food. He demanded compensation that was 10 times the cost of his meal.
According to police, Rong would purchase ants and sneak them into food at targeted restaurants, particularly high-priced establishments at airports or chain restaurants.
He exploited their fears of developing bad reputations to elicit payouts, police said. Police said that within just two days of Rong’s arrival in Hubei, he engaged in four acts of extortion in four cities.
Rong has confessed to his crimes and is being detained as the investigation continues, they said. In a similar incident in Beijing, Haidian district authorities recently arrested a man surnamed Su, who allegedly tried to extort money from multiple restaurants by planting cockroaches in his food. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
