About 10 minutes after Mr. Yuan registered his ID card at the hotel, the police "as expected" arrived. Subsequently, Mr. Yuan was taken away by the police. At the police station, Mr. Yuan tried to leave several times but was stopped by the police. During the questioning process, Mr. Yuan experienced physical discomfort, and the police called 120 for medical assistance.
Reported by Business Journalist Li Zheng / Text Deng Wanli / Photo
Mr. Yuan's full name is Yuan Shulin, an ordinary citizen of Zhengzhou. He frequently travels on business dealing with car parts. However, in the past week, he no longer dared to travel. He said that he had been targeted by the Public Security Bureau and could be taken away at any time.
The police station officers said, "ID information shows that he has been listed as a high-risk petitioning individual." However, after verification, it was found that Mr. Yuan had never petitioned and had no criminal record.
Dilemma
Summoned in front of his son
At around 11 PM on September 9th, after a five-day business trip, Mr. Yuan returned from Nanjing to Zhengzhou. To relieve travel fatigue, he went to a hot spring bathhouse located at the intersection of Hanghai East Road and Eighth Street.
"This whole journey hasn't been smooth. When I went to bathe or stay in hotels elsewhere, they all said there was something wrong with my ID, and almost wouldn't let me stay," Mr. Yuan recounted. He called a friend and his 13-year-old son, deciding to take a bath together and then get a good night's sleep.
But what Mr. Yuan didn't expect was that less than half an hour after bathing, while resting in the hall, he received a summons from the Minghu Police Station of the Eastern Economic Development Zone in Zhengzhou.
Mr. Yuan said, "This kind of situation, I've never seen before. My brain went blank at the moment. Did I do something wrong, but I couldn't remember."
The police told Mr. Yuan that according to the ID information, he had bad records and needed to go to the police station for questioning.
"Why am I being taken? I haven't broken any laws!" Mr. Yuan thought it was impossible for there to be an issue with his ID because he had a second-generation ID card, which doesn't have problems with duplicate names.
"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Hearing his son ask, Mr. Yuan didn't know what to say. "I need time to explain to my son; in his eyes, I've become a 'bad example,'" Mr. Yuan sighed.
To prove that Mr. Yuan was innocent, a friend beside him verbally assured the police officer and made a few phone calls. After explaining the situation, Mr. Yuan wasn't taken away by the police.
Mystery
Why was he "targeted" if he hadn't done anything wrong?
Experiences while staying in hotels out of town, as well as encounters upon returning to Zhengzhou, made Mr. Yuan feel that his situation was "very dangerous."
"Am I being targeted by the Public Security Bureau?" For this reason, Mr. Yuan asked himself more than once. But he quickly rejected the idea himself, "It's impossible, impossible, I haven't committed any crimes, so..."
Mr. Yuan said that in the past few days, his blood pressure often increased, and his heart felt uncomfortable. Mr. Yuan took out a bottle of "Speedy Heart-Saving Pills" from his pocket, "If I'm taken again without cause, I might have to take this medicine."
Because he dared not use his ID card, Mr. Yuan's life was greatly affected.
"Go out of town to negotiate business with clients? I don't dare!" Mr. Yuan said that he felt like a "blacklisted person," unable to show his face. If he were negotiating business with clients and was taken away by the police, future business would be impossible.
Moreover, going to internet cafes, taking baths at bathhouses, staying at hotels, withdrawing money at bank counters—anywhere that required ID registration online, Mr. Yuan didn't dare to go.
Mr. Yuan also tried to proactively visit the police station to understand the situation, but the response was that his ID information had "bad records."
Experiment
In less than 10 minutes, the police indeed appeared
"Not free, but I have to think of a way." On the evening of September 10th, Mr. Yuan reached out to the Henan Business Daily via their corporate QQ account, recounting his experience to the journalist and hoping that with the help of the media, he could clear his name.
On the afternoon of September 12th, the reporter met Mr. Yuan and his friend Xiao Bo at the intersection of Hanghai Road and Future Road.
"As long as I use my ID card for registration, the police will come looking for me." To prove this to the reporter, Mr. Yuan decided to conduct a "test" by registering at a hotel.
At 9:20 PM, Mr. Yuan arrived at the Green Tree Inn Hotel on Jingliu Road: "Book a double bed room."
According to the requirements of the front desk staff, Mr. Yuan handed over his second-generation ID card. With a "beep," the information was registered.
Around 9:30 PM, a Santana police car stopped in front of the hotel. "Which room is Yuan Shulin in?" Two officers from the Jinshui River Police Station asked the front desk staff. After a brief inquiry, the officers asked Mr. Yuan to accompany them to the police station.
Anger
Life disrupted, blood pressure rises
At 9:42 PM, inside the Jinshui River Police Station.
Mr. Yuan sat on a simple sofa, opposite him was an iron stool, two officers were interrogating him.
"What industry are you in? Have you ever had a criminal record?" the officer asked.
"I deal with car parts, I haven't done anything bad. As soon as I use my ID card, you come to arrest me. What's going on?" Mr. Yuan counter-questioned and attempted to stand up and leave but was stopped by the officer.
"Your personal information has a bad record on the police network," Officer Zhang said.
Clearly faultless yet still questioned by the police, Mr. Yuan suddenly claimed chest pain and high blood pressure, swallowing a "Speedy Heart-Saving Pill."
Subsequently, the officer brought him hot water and dialed 120. The 120 doctor measured Mr. Yuan's blood pressure on-site and performed an electrocardiogram.
The diagnosis showed that Mr. Yuan's heart was fine, but his blood pressure was high, so he was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Officer
"It could be a mistake during information registration"
After resting for half an hour at the hospital, Mr. Yuan's blood pressure dropped slightly, but it was still high. The doctor prescribed him a box of antihypertensive drugs.
Regarding Mr. Yuan's situation, Officer Zhang from the Jinshui River Police Station said, "The police network shows that Mr. Yuan was registered as a high-risk petitioning individual. As soon as he uses his ID card for registration, the local police station receives an alert."
The officer stated that after verifying Yuan Shulin's household registration and identity information, no bad records were found. "He has never petitioned, but now he's labeled as a 'high-risk petitioning individual.'" Sitting in the emergency room of the hospital, Mr. Yuan lamented that he was almost driven to death.
When explaining why Mr. Yuan frequently encountered "identity crises," Officer Zhang revealed, "It could be a mistake during information registration." However, he indicated that a police station-level unit couldn't help him remove the bad records, suggesting that Yuan Shulin inquire at the Zhengzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau Information Center or the Internet Monitoring Brigade.
What exactly is wrong with Mr. Yuan's ID card? The Henan Business Daily will continue to track and report.