19 detained for forging license plates

Police in Shanghai have busted two groups that forged temporary license plates, detaining 19 suspects and seizing more than 800 fake plates.

The fake plates were made at a cost between 30 to 40 yuan (about 4.6 to 6.2 U.S.dollars) but were sold to car owners at a price between 800 yuan to 1,000 yuan, police said Tuesday.

Police from Baoshan District and the Shanghai free trade zone noticed in March that some car dealerships in Huangpu, Xuhui, Jiading and Baoshan districts were using internet social networking tools to buy fake plates from other provinces to sell them to buyers.

They traced the transactions and found two separate gangs operated by suspects surnamed Yang and Ye. They then raided their workshops in Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Police also seized several fake traffic authority stamps at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing. Endi