Police on Wednesday said they arrested 275 people who allegedly staged traffic accidents to obtain financial assistance from the government. The Social Welfare Department, which arranges financial assistance for traffic accident victims, requires these people to provide documents certified by a registered medical practitioner. Officers said the suspects were involved in 121 traffic accidents from February last year to April this year, and had obtained about HK$14 million in financial assistance. Chief Inspector Tse Yu-ngai said a majority of them belonged to different syndicates and some even staged accidents involving public transport. "Eleven out of 14 victims in the accidents were from the same syndicate... They got on the double-decker bus at different stations. When the bus travelled to Tung Chung, the mastermind arranged a private car to collide with the bus, staging a traffic accident," Tse said. He added that some debtors were being forced by creditors to participate in these staged accidents in order to pay off their debts. The suspects, aged between 18 and 64, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and fraud.
