275 people arrested in Hong Kong for faking traffic accidents, papers to claim handouts

Hong Kong police have arrested 275 people for defrauding a government road traffic victims fund of more than HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) by fabricating evidence or even orchestrating incidents.

Some of those arrested were linked to a car-bus collision organized by a criminal group, in which at least ten passengers were told by the gang to board the bus at different stops.

Senior Superintendent Kung Hing-fun of the force’s commercial crime bureau said on Wednesday that 182 men and 93 women, aged 18 to 64, were arrested on charges of deception and conspiracy to defraud between October 3 and November 1.

The crimes allegedly involved forging false medical certificates for sick leave and organizing traffic accidents between February 2023 and April last year.

“In these cases, we have seen criminals neglect their own road safety and that of others and carry out blatant illegal acts, leading to road accidents, with government support,” Kung said.

“This is despicable and shameful. Police condemn this behavior and will seek to address relevant criminal liability.”