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Police have arrested 23 men and eight women aged from 22 to 55 suspected to be connected with a syndicated insurance fraud case involving traffic accidents during an operation codenamed ¡§Moonhiker¡¨ mounted by the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) yesterday (January 17).
CCB officers received a report from a relevant organisation last June in which victims of suspected fraudulent traffic accidents filed insurance claims. Following extensive investigations, CCB officers arrested 31 people for conspiracy to defraud at various locations in the territory yesterday, including three taxi drivers, three private car drivers, eight taxi passengers, 13 private car passengers and four medical doctors.
Police investigations revealed that someone had driven private car on the road and rammed onto the taxi in the front deliberately. All passengers on board the private car and the taxi claimed to be injured. They consulted designated medical doctors for examination and treatment, and were granted sick leave certificates for sick leave from 52 to 94 days. The injured persons then filed insurance claims for loss of income during the sick leave period involving insurance claims ranging from some $100,000 to $900,000 through motor vehicles insurance (third party risks).
The arrestees were suspected to be connected with the insurance claims for three related traffic accidents between 2009 and 2010, involving a total amount of $8.68 million in which three million had been granted.
All arrestees are being detained for further enquiries. The operation is ongoing.
Police Report No. 276
Ends/Friday, January 18, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:49
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