Taxi driver arrested on suspicion of spying
Shanghai Daily, March 25, 2015
Chinese authorities have arrested a taxi driver in central China’s Henan Province on suspicion of selling military secrets to foreign spies.
The national security agency in Henan said the local procuratorate had approved the arrest of the man, surnamed Duan, after Chinese intelligence agents found evidence suggesting he had sent sketches and information about military installations to foreign agents.
A 37-year-old with a criminal record for theft, Duan was contacted by a foreign intelligence agent in 2013 when he was unemployed and applying for jobs online, the agency said.
It said Duan was paid to collect information on military garrisons in the city of Kaifeng and observe and record the movement of military vehicles, including aircraft.
More than 40,000 yuan (US$6,400) had been transferred to the bank account of one of Duan’s gambling companions, it said, and Duan, often wearing a cap and face mask to disguise his identity, made a number of ATM trips to withdraw the money.
Duan is said to have confessed, according to an agency statement, which did not specify for which country or countries the foreign agent was acting.
According to a report in the Dahe Daily newspaper, Duan was paid 300 yuan (US$48) for his first assignment but was eventually earning about 3,000 yuan a month. Duan told the newspaper he needed the money to pay for drink and prostitutes.
