Now.com.cn News - A female driver from Zhongxiang, Jingmen has gathered others to monopolize a 60km bus route. Members of the group have obstructed vehicles, deflated tires, smashed cars, assaulted drivers and ticket sellers, even made their own traffic inspection signs for illegal inspections and fines. They even dared to assault the police, earning over 12 million yuan illegally in three years. Yesterday, Jingmen police announced that this "underground transportation bureau" had been dismantled, with eight people criminally detained and now all transferred for review and prosecution.
"The Joint Venture" conducts inspections and fines along the route
The police introduced that in 2001, some passenger vehicle owners on the Yingshang to Hujji line in Zhongxiang formed the "Ying-Hu Passenger Joint Venture". In 2006, Yang, a 47-year-old female car owner from Linyang Village, Hujji Town was elected as the head. Yang gathered some members of the joint venture to harass passing vehicles on the Ying-Hu line, gradually monopolizing the 60km passenger transport rights. In 2008, Yang became the overall head of the joint venture, and the group's harassment activities continuously escalated: from obstructing vehicles to deflating tires, smashing cars, assaulting drivers and ticket sellers, illegal inspections, and fines...
Yang quickly established herself as the "boss" within the joint venture, being called "Commander Yang" by some, causing fear among the passing drivers and ticket sellers. Yang's gang used a minivan as a dedicated inspection vehicle, openly placing homemade "traffic inspection" signs, tracking and inspecting vehicles along the route, disregarding even the personnel from the transport management office. Just seeing that minivan following behind would cause other operating vehicle owners to tremble with fear, worried about losing business for the day.
After police investigation, more than 20 vehicles from Zhongxiang to Xiangfan and Jingshan to Xiangfan were almost all inspected and fined at some point, while deflating tires and impounding vehicles were commonplace.
Forcing drivers to kneel and write guarantee letters
On a noon in April 2009, a passing bus picked up several students going to Hujji at the Zhongxiang Bridge bridgehead. Upon reaching the Tianfa gas station in Hujji, the "inspection vehicle" of the "Ying-Hu Passenger Joint Venture" followed closely behind. Afraid of having their tires deflated and missing their schedule, the bus didn't dare stop in Hujji. Yang and her associates continued to follow all the way to Yicheng before leaving. Helplessly, the ticket seller paid 40 yuan to hire another car to send the Hujji students back to Hujji. Not long after, Yang and her associates came to accuse them, forcing the owner to kneel down and write a guarantee letter promising not to pick up passengers from Hujji before they would leave.
Yang and her group dominated the Ying-Hu line, ignoring the management of the traffic inspection department, blocking inspection personnel on the road, preventing them from getting out of the car, and even surrounding, verbally abusing, and assaulting police officers responding to calls.
Refusing to lower prices: refusing to carry passengers, surrounding the station gate
To gain illegal profits, the group frequently organized vehicles and personnel for unreasonable petitions, surrounding government gates and station gates. On March 1, 2009, the Zhongxiang Price Bureau legally reduced the additional fee included in the passenger fare from Yingshang to Hujji, lowering the fare from the original 14 yuan to 13 yuan, but Yang and others refused to implement the adjusted fare and refused to carry passengers at the Zhongxiang new station for as long as three days. On May 6, 2009, due to the cancellation of the Zhongxiang Bridge toll station and the Linyang toll station, the Price Bureau reduced the road passage fee included in the fare, lowering it from 13 yuan to 11 yuan. Yang and others disagreed with the reduction of 2 yuan and refused to carry passengers on the day the new fare was implemented, blocking the station gate for over an hour, only stopping after the Price Department orally agreed to their unreasonable demands.
Causing public outrage, eight members arrested
The improper competition on the Ying-Hu passenger line and the evil deeds of the "Commander Yang" group gradually caused public outrage in the Zhongxiang passenger transport industry and drew high attention from the public security organs. On June 15, 2009, the Zhongxiang Public Security Bureau established a special team to investigate Yang's suspected involvement in a mafia-like organization. After more than half a year of arduous investigation and evidence collection, eight members of the gang, including Yang, were arrested, exposing one by one the various evil deeds they committed.
The public security organ confirmed that Yang's gang was involved in hooliganism, gathering to disrupt social order, obstructing official duties, extortion, intentional injury, illegal operations, and other criminal activities, committing 38 cases. From May 2006 to May 2009, their total illegal operation income reached over 12 million yuan, gaining illegal profits of more than 900,000 yuan. Currently, the police have transferred Yang and seven others to the procuratorial organs for handling on suspicion of involvement in a mafia-like organization crime.
"We can finally do business honestly, thank the Public Security Bureau for removing this menace..." Many passenger drivers in the Zhongxiang passenger transport market cheered upon hearing about the downfall of Yang's gang.
◇ Gang Operations
Members can still receive dividends if caught due to conflict
This gang had a rule: anyone who got into a conflict with Xiangfan car owners for the benefit of the Ying-Hu Joint Venture, if caught or fined by the public security authorities, all consequences would be borne by the Joint Venture, and even if caught, they could still participate in dividend distribution. On October 4, 2007, when the organization hired ex-convict Sun to conduct illegal inspections on the streets of Hujji, Sun beat up bus driver Liang and ticket seller Zheng. As a result, Sun was sentenced to one year of re-education through labor. Afterwards, the Ying-Hu Joint Venture compensated Sun with 2000 yuan.
◇ News Background
Jingmen Police Crack Down on Black Forces
On February 3 this year, the Jingmen Public Security Bureau issued a notice titled "Regarding the Realization of Thorough Investigation of Key Black Crime Clues." In April, the Jingmen police published a hotline number, set up a reporting mailbox and online email, sent open letters against black forces to all unit heads in the city, accepting reports 24 hours a day, demonstrating the determination of the public security organs to fight against black forces. This year alone, they successfully dismantled one mafia-like organization crime group and eradicated 60 other criminal groups.
(Changjiang Business Daily, Li Haifu, Correspondent Han Hongzhi)