Foreign nationals prosecuted for robbery in south China

Four foreigners, suspected of robbery while posing as Interpol detectives, will be tried by the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou City, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

The gang, aged between 27 and 37 and made up of three Iranians and one Afghan, were unemployed and often loafed around the streets of Guangzhou. Without a source of income, they decided to rob other foreigners.

At a court hearing held on Tuesday, the prosecution held that around 10 p.m. on August 25, 2005, the four, riding in a bus to Huifu East Road of Guangzhou City, found a Mauritian man walking along the street alone and got off.

Under the pretext of carrying out an investigation, the four stopped the Mauritian and searched him after presenting an Interpol badge they had bought on the street. They ran off with 3,000 euros, 1,000 U.S. dollars and 10,000 yuan (about 1,250 U.S. dollars).

Using the same method, the gang of four also robbed a Pakistani man near Wuyang Hotel on Renmin Middle Road of Guangzhou City around 9 p.m. on August 30, 2005, of personal belongings including 2,347 U.S. dollars. The four were caught by passers-by and patrol security workers and were taken to the local police.

The ruling of the court will be announced at a later date.

Source: Xinhua