With sky-high medical fees, poorly trained staff, and a scandal-ridden health care system, hospital patients in China and their families have a lot to worry about. One group of criminals is suspected of exploiting this, and robbing a total of 100,000 yuan from individuals in hospital waiting rooms in Shenzhen.
Six people have been detained on suspicion of stealing an estimated total of 100,000 RMB from various hospitals in Shenzhen over a period of months, according to Shenzhen Evening Post.
Last month, a man named Mr Yang took his son to Shenzhen Children’s Hospital for a check-up. After registering and joining the queue, he noticed his wallet was missing. He called the police immediately. At Lianhua Police Station in Futian District, officers checked the security camera footage at the hospital and saw six people who surrounded Yang, all of whom appeared to be involved in the robbery.
A further investigation, involving much security camera footage, showed that the six people would frequently take the subway from Buji Metro Station to hospitals in Luohu and Futian Districts. These also included Shenzhen Maternity Hospital and Shenzhen People’s Hospital. On the afternoon of June 9, police arrested one suspect named Mou, and later arrested the other five. Police concluded that the suspects chose to target hospitals because hospitals tended to be crowded, so it was easy to get lost. Moreover, people tended to be preoccupied while in hospital, and would carry large sums of money to pay for medical fees.
The suspects are all related and include a husband and wife and a brother and sister. The investigation is ongoing.
